The Essential Guide to XML Technologies

The up-to-the-minute XML briefing for every nontechnical professional and business decision-maker

Companies worldwide are discovering the extraordinary value of XML technology—and professionals of all types are suddenly discovering that they must understand XML to achieve their business goals. Now there's a complete, non-technical briefing on XML technology that cuts through the hype and focuses on what nonprogrammers need to know. The Essential Guide to XML Technologies explains what XML is, how it works, exactly what problems it can solve—and how you can use it for competitive advantage.

• How XML differs from HTML and other previous markup technologies
• Real-world case studies: manufacturing, publishing, and many more
• XML applications in both e-business and "bricks-and-mortar" companies
• Using XML to simplify enterprise application integration
• Advanced XML applications: trading exchanges, "digital dashboards," and more
• Building wireless, portable, and voice-based applications with XML
• Industry-specialized XML languages: finance, e-business, media, security, and beyond
• The politics of XML-inside your organization, and throughout the industry
• Where XML is headed: tomorrow's standards and applications
• Includes XML markup examples from many real-world applications-with structured "talkthroughs" explaining how they work

Written for everyone from managers to marketers, this book doesn't just provide a snapshot of where XML is now. It helps you project XML's long-term impact on your company, take control of your XML initiatives, and leverage the full power of this remarkable technology.

Table of Contents

Preface.
Acknowledgments.

I. MAJOR THEMES.

Introduction.
Who Are You?
This Book is Distinctive Because.
Road Map.
1. Why XML.
2. What's the Difference Between£?
3. What's the Really Big Idea?
4. How Does XML Solve the Digital Problem.
5. XML as Workflow.
6. XML as Knowledge.

II. Core Technologies.

7. Elements and Attributes to Expose Content.
8. Getting Personal-Attributes.
9. Well-formed XML.
10. Why a Type Definition?
11. The Self-Describing XML Tree.
12. XML Schemas.
13. Entities.
14. Xpath.
15. XML Namespaces.
16. Transforming Your Data with XSLT.
17. XSLT for Adaptive Content.
18. XSL for Format.
19. XLink and Xpointer.

III. XML At Work.

20. XML At Work: Manufacturing.
21. XML At Work: Extensible Business Reporting Language.
22. XML AT Work: Security.
23. XML At Work: Law and the Courts.
24. XML At Work: WAP & WML.
25. It's Up to You: Ten Questions You Should Ask About XML.
Decision Maker's List.
Index.