Using XML with Legacy Business Applications

Schema Design

Schema design is a very broad and complex topic. As much as I would like to offer you my knowledge and opinions about it, I'm afraid it would qualify for another complete chapter, if not another book. I have to set an appropriate scope somewhere for a book that has already turned out longer than planned, so I'm going to point you elsewhere for details about schema design. There are several good resources listed at the end of the chapter. Beyond that I'll offer only a few general observations.

Despite what some authorities may tell you, no single technique is right for all circumstances. If you're going to design only one or a few schemas, probably any approach that provides the required validation will be adequate. This includes ...