Professional XML Schemas (Programmer to Programmer)

In order to leverage XML's power as a self-describing and extensible language, we need a way to define and describe the allowable content of any type of XML document. In the past, this has been achieved with DTDs, but these have in many ways fallen short of the requirements for working with data. XML Schemas were created to provide a more powerful and flexible mechanism for describing permissible document structures using XML syntax. They provide a set of built-in datatypes, which can mimic the object-oriented mechanisms of many languages, offer support for namespaces, and facilities for automated documentation.

Professional XML Schemas exhaustively details the W3C XML Schema language, and teaches the new syntax in an intuitive and logical way. From declaring elements and attributes, creating complex content models, and working with multiple namespaces, you'll move on to see how XML Schemas are used in real-world situations. A number of practical case studies will illustrate the design and creation of schemas in the diverse worlds of relational databases, document management, and e-commerce applications.

This book covers:
A complete guide to XML Schema Syntax
Using XML Schema built-in types, and deriving new types
Working with XML Schemas and namespaces
Creating identity and uniqueness constraints
Good XML Schema design, illustrated in a number of different areas
Working with XML Schemas and XSLT
Writing XML Schemas for working with SOAP
Integrating Schematron and XML Schemas

Jon Duckett has been working with XML since editing and co-authoring Wrox's first XML title in 1998. Having worked for Wrox's Birmingham UK offices for over 3 years, Jon recently moved to Sydney to get a different view from his window.

Nikola Ozu is a systems and information architect. Recent work has included the use of XML for both production and publishing of text and bibliographic databases, an architectural vocabulary and a new production and delivery system for hypermedia. He designed and developed an early hypertext database, a monthly CD-ROM product called Health Reference Center in 1990, followed by advanced versions of the similar InfoTrac.

Kevin Williams career has been focused on Windows development - first client-server, then onto Internet work. He's done a little bit of everything, from VB to Powerbuilder to Delphi toC/C++ to MASM to ISAPI, CGI, ASP, HTML, XML, and any other acronym you might care to name, but these days, he's focusing on XML work. Kevin is a Senior System Architect for Equient, an information management company located in Northern Virginia. He may be reached for comment at kevin@realworldxml.com.

Stephen Mohr is a software systems architect with Omicron Consulting, Philadelphia, USA. He has more than ten years' experience working with a variety of platforms and component technologies. His research interests include distributed computing and artificial intelligence. Stephen holds BS and MS degrees in computer science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Kurt Cagle is president of Cagle Communications, a consulting company in Olympia, Washington specializing in Internet, XML based document management and multimedia technologies. He has authored ten books and more than one hundred articles on topics relating to XML/XSLT and web services on Windows, Java and Linux platforms.

Oliver Griffin decided to combine his interest in technology and publishing by forming Griffin Brown Digital Publishing Ltd with Alex Brown. Based in Cambridge, England, the company has become a world leader in the application of XML to document management, particularly within the academic and STM (Scientific, Technical and Medical) sectors. Oliver is responsible for managing the company and leading the consulting team in a variety of work including DTD and schema development, transformation and workflow design. He also runs training courses in XML and XSLT.

Ian Stokes-Rees is the Engineering Manager for DecisionSoft Ltd., an Oxford UK based XML company and creators of XML Script. Ian has been working with XSDL since the first working draft and has been involved in the modeling and production of schemas for various applications. He has also been heavily involved in the integration of XML into the business process of many DecisionSoft clients and as such has been working on X-Meta, an XML meta-data repository, which facilitates information modeling and integration of business rules with data definitions. Ian can be reached at ijstokes@ieee.org and is happy to hear from readers.

Jeni Tennison is a freelance consultant in XML, XSLT and XML Schemas. She is a regular contributor on XSL-List and was an invited speaker on XSLT design patterns at XSLT UK '01 and is one of the people behind the EXSLT initiative.