best practice application in xml

[WebRic]

Hi,

I'm not too sure of the correct way to use xml. I can create a xml file relatively easily but I've never been sure of the best way top use it to pass lots of data.

i.e if I have ten thousand clients with full personal and address details would this be ok to stick in 1 xml file or should I really put each clients details in separate xml files? How big can an xml file get before its not useful anymore? What are the best methods or passing large amounts of data?

NB. I will use xml in a mainly online environment, although this will be connected with some offline systems.

Thanks for any advice,

Richard

 

[SiJP]

XML is great for passing data around multiple systems, some online, some disconnected etc.. I generally stick to one XML file per 'transaction' .. and develop the schema's based on this.

For example your xml could take on the structure:

<root>
<function>update</function>
<data>
<client id="12345">
<newvalue field="name">joe</newvalue>
<newvalue field="age">21</newvalue>
</client>
<client id="54321">
<newvalue field="telephone">0123456789</newvalue>
</client>
</data>
</root>

You could have one, or multiple clients in that xml file, depending on what you were doing with the transaction.

In the example above, I have an element called 'function' that contains the data 'update'.. Theoretically, my program could be built to interpret that as "any clients in this file need to have it's data updated" and extract the information from the data element.

As it is, there are two clients in this file, but this could be easily one hundred or ten thousand (you would perhaps have to consider why are you processing ten thousand records at once, but it is possible all the same.)

I hope this gives you some idea's!



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[SiJP]

Heres a link you might consider....

http://www.w3schools.com/xml/default.asp

Also - I haven't used XML to store any considerable amount of data (othe rthan the occasional config file). Why bother simulating a database environment when you can use MS Access, SQL or another relational db.

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[JontyMC]

You should be using a database. XML is not good for large amounts of data. Use XML for small, highly structured data.

Jon

"I don't regret this, but I both rue and lament it.

 

[WebRic]

Great stuff, that's exactly the info I needed.

Richard