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RE: XML Database Decision Tree?

• From: "Champion, Mike" <Mike.Champion@S...>
• To: xml-dev@l...
• Date: Sat, 20 Oct 2001 10:15:01 -0400

> -----Original Message-----
> From: bob mcwhirter [mailto:bob@w...]
> Sent: Saturday, October 20, 2001 9:14 AM
> To: xml-dev@l...
> Subject: Re:  XML Database Decision Tree?
> 
 
> Here, I think XML Databases live somewhere between ODBMS and RDBMS.
> At least in my world, the ODBMS was pretty much restricted to being
> used by the application that created it.  RDBMS attempt to be usable
> by lots of applications.  XDBS live in the middle, probably initially
> for a particular application, but since it's XML, it's expected to be
> re-usable by many others.

I think that's an awfully good point; I had some vaguely similar thoughts
trying to crystallize, but you put your finger on it.

I was helping out on a very early-stage sales call last week and the
potential customer sketched out a use case that was essentially persistent
object serialization; XML was simply a convenient intermediate format, not
anything's native language.  I innocently -- ignoring the sales guy kicking
me under the table :~) -- asked if they had looked at an OODBMS solution,
even mentioning The Company Formerly Known as Object Design.  As it turns
out, they had briefly considered an OODBMS solution, but it was unworkable
because of all the heterogeneity among the systems in the back office --
Java versions, evolving versions of the classes being serialized, 3rd-party
products that they didn't control the source code to, the likelihood that
even more cooks would be arriving in the kitchen soon, etc.   So, an OODBMS
was seen as inadequate, an RDBMS massive overkill, but an XML DBMS might be
just the right thing in the middle.

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