XML Handbook; Fourth Edition

ISBN: 0-13-065198-2

Authors:

Charles F. Goldfarb: Charles F. Goldfarb is the inventor of SGML, the International Standard (ISO 8879) upon which both HTML and XML are based. He is the Series Editor for the Prentice Hall Open Information Management Series. Goldfarb was also the author of the SGML Handbook.
Paul Prescod: Paul Prescod is a leading XML consulting engineer. He is a member of the W3C XLink working group. Mr. Prescod is an XML software developer for ActiveState.

Pages:

1123 pages plus 2 CD-ROMs featuring 175 no-time-limit Free software packages

Intended Audience:

The XML Handbook was designed as a starting point for those who want to learn about and experiment with XML. This book bills itself as "the definitive XML resource: applications, products, technologies, and tutorials!" Good solid content. As the title suggests, this is a Handbook. It serves to provide basic information on any XML related topic and is designed as a reference for a wide audience.

Summary:

The XML Handbook is organized into fifteen parts (61 Chapters) and 2 CD-ROMs. This is the largest handbook ever. It also provides software and resources on 2 CD-ROMS, not just one.

Part 1 of the XML Handbook explains the "Who, What and Why" of XML. This part of the book provides the reader with a bit of history in order to understand the evolution of publishing markup, generic coding, SGML, HTML and finally XML. This book is not written to explain XML to someone who knows SGML or even HTML, but to provide an understanding of all these languages in relation to one another. Reading Part 1 is essential to understand the philosophy of the remainder of the Handbook and to provide a common set of terms and concepts.

It is important to note that Goldfarb and Prescod make a clear distinction among HTML, XML, and SGML. They assure readers that while, different, these languages do not compete. They assure readers that there is a place (application domain) for each language and that the invention of XML does not mean the extinction of the other languages.

Part 2 of the book examines "Three-tier Applications." In this part, the appearance of the "middle-tier server" architecture facilitated by XML is explored. According to the authors, "XML facilitates a three-tier model, in which a single middle-tier server can be an intermediary that aggregates data from multiple sources and presents all of it at once to the client." This part of the book examines a three-tier Web application from the user perspective and then takes a closer look at how a middle-tier server works with XML."

Part 3 of the book focuses on e-commerce. We begin by examining EDI and the relationship between EDI and XML. The message of XML and EDI working together comes through clearly in this edition of the handbook. A case study about petrochemical e-commerce rounds out this part of the book.

Part 4 of the XML Handbook focuses on integration. This part provides a series of case studies and application discussions sponsored by vendors providing XML-based software integrations solutions. Sponsors include Infoteria Corporation, HostBridge Technology, Business Layers and Peregrine Systems.

Part 5 of the fourth edition focuses on Content Management. Topics in this part include concepts of XML Content Management, Content Systems (from acquisition through distribution), Component Management, and Managing Graphics Content. Sponsors featured in Part 5 include Crystal Software, Auto-trol Technology, Interwoven Inc., and XyEnterprise.

In Part 6 the focus shifts to XML portals. Topics in this part include Portal Servers, Information and Content Exchange (ICE) and Content Systems for Portals. Sponsors for Part 6 include Sequoia Software, edion, GmbH and the ICE Authoring Group.

Part 7 of the XML Handbook focuses on Publishing. Here the authors examine personalized financial publishing, high-volume data reporting and how to develop reusable content. Sponsors include Synthbank LLC, Four J's Development Tools, and Adobe Systems.

Part 8 focuses on XML and Databases. In this part of the book, we learn about what a database is, the requirements for an XML DBMS, and how to design an XML database. Sponsors for these chapters include Software AG, Neocore, IBM Informix and Oracle Corporation.

Part 9 of the handbook focuses on Content Acquisition. Here we learn the issues around converting legacy documents, large-scale conversions, accessing transaction data and acquiring usable renditions. Sponsors include Innodata Corporation, XMLCities, Inc. and Liquent.

Part 10 of the handbook focuses on XML Schema Design. In this part, the reader is introduced to XML schemas and how to design and manage them in an integrated development environment (IDE).

Parts 11- 14 focus on Voice, the Semantic Web, Web Services and XML Infrastructure. This year Microsoft sponsored a chapter that shares their vision for Web services while Sun sponsored the chapter focusing on the use of Java with XML in the part of the book focusing on infrastructure

The final parts of the XML Handbook are non-sponsored chapters, these include tutorials and resources. A great deal of reliable, technical information resides in these final, non-sponsored chapters. This year the Handbook has put much more emphasis on including great resource materials and hosting non-sponsored chapters in an effort to provide a much more comprehensive view of XML and XML-related technologies.

I have found the CD which accompanies the XML Handbook to be particularly useful. This CD contains over 175 free XML tools, including the IBM alphaworks XML family of tools.

The XML Handbook is a good resource for those starting with XML and even for those who have been working with XML but are struggling to keep up with the latest developments, standards, and tools. In the first and last part of the handbook, the reader can find both a general overview of XML and technical specifics of XML and related standards. The scenarios, case studies, and tool descriptions serve to make XML "real" to the reader and to spark the imagination as to how XML might be used in the reader's own environment. Together with the wealth of resource on the CD, the XML Handbook is a good addition to any technical library.

Comparing Handbook Editions

The XML Handbook has become, in a way, a yearbook for XML. This is the fourth edition of the Handbook. According to the authors, it has sold more than 100,000 copies. The first run of the fourth edition sold out in just over one month! So this is quite a popular title.

It is interesting to compare the fourth edition of the handbook with previous editions. Comparison can show you where XML has been and where it is going. Comparisons of the editions indicate trends in the industry. It is interesting to note which companies have opted to sponsor chapters from one edition to the next. Some sponsor companies represented in earlier editions have been purchased by other companies. Others are no longer in business. Some companies have changed their market strategy and hence have moved their placement in the Handbook from one part to another. And of course, there are are always new entries to the XML marketplace.

Dianne Kennedy, Editor XML Files