Home:Learn XQuery:White Papers:Case for XQuery

The Case for XQuery

By Jerry King

This article debuted in the November 2005 issue of SOA WebServices Journal.

Table of Contents

XML Adoption is Growing Steadily

XML use is widespread across modern information systems in all industry, government, and academic sectors. However, XML as we know it today is not the whole answer.

XQuery Unlocks the Power of XML

One of the most recent developments in XML is the emergence of a native XML query and transformation language – XML Query, or XQuery.

XQuery Simplifies Data Integration

XQuery is designed to support multiple XML information sources as input. An XQuery program’s primary functions are to select, filter, transform, join, and aggregate data across multiple data sources.

XQuery Will Simplify SOA Data Services

A key value proposition of SOA is the idea of creating loosely coupled, composite applications to bridge existing information systems and brand-new applications.

Vendor Solutions for the Future XQuery World are Emerging

A related specification – XQuery API for Java, XQJ – will provide a standard interface for easily embedding these XQuery programs in any Java program, much like JDBC does for SQL.

Conclusion

XQuery promises unprecedented productivity for developers solving data integration problems. Delivery on that promise by W3C and industry stakeholders will be the key to XQuery’s success.