what is xml?
XML stands for Extensible Markup Language. It is the, “…universal format for structured documents and data on the Web… XML makes it easy for a computer to generate data, read data, and ensure that the data structure is unambiguous… it is extensible, platform-independent, and it supports internationalization and localization”–The W3 Consortium. XML is a language which stores data in a text-only format. Because of this, XML-based data can be used by any computer system and sent across any network, regardless of the platforms and software systems involved. XML is the industry standard for intercompatibility in data storage and retrieval. Once data has been stored in XML format, there is no limit to how it can be published. Consider this analogy: if HTML is a cake, then XML is the recipe AND the ingredients. Information stored in XML is highly accessible even for non-technical users. Each data element is assigned a logical name, so that it can easily be recognized and referred to. X
What is XML? XML is a way of making markup languages. A markup language is a way of taking regular old text and marking certain parts of it as ‘special’ in some way. For example, take a look at this text: Bristol, England You probably recognize that that text is talking about a place. But to someone completely unfamiliar with geography, it’s just so much nonsense. If I wanted to help such people out, I might try to describe to them why that text is special; for instance, I might say: Bristol, England is a place. In other words, I’d tack some extra stuff on to clarify why that text is special. XML allows us to do something like that, but instead of adding our explanation on as parts of English sentences (which are sometimes imprecise and can therefore be hard to work with—especially using a computer), we make up tags that indicate why that text is special, and then wrap the text in those tags—for instance:
From the XML FAQ at http://www.ucc.ie/xml/ : XML is the ‘Extensible Markup Language’ (extensible because it is not a fixed format like HTML). It is designed to enable the use of SGML on the World Wide Web. XML is not a single, predefined markup language: it’s a metalanguage — a language for describing other languages — which lets you design your own markup. (A predefined markup language like HTML defines a way to describe information in one specific class of documents only: XML lets you define your own customized markup languages for limitless different classes of document.) It can do this because it’s written in SGML, the international standard metalanguage for text markup systems.
A new Internet service is available for those organizations that file numerous financing statements. This is an XML application that allows direct computer-to-computer interface for bulk filing. It will require development at the filer’s end of the process that will be compatible with the national XML standards. If you want technical information about this option, please contact us at UCC@dol.wa.gov.
Otherwise known as the Extensible Markup Language, XML is a coding system that allows any type of information to be delivered across the World Wide Web. XML offers the prospect of allowing a wide range of applications to be distributed through the Web, and thus will increasingly become a powerful utility for data communications. More and more software applications are able to import and export XML. With a Premium or Enterprise account you can upload XML to eCriteria, or download your database from eCriteria in XML format to your desktop PC.
