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Types of Query Protocol

• To: "xml-dev" <xml-dev@l...>
• Subject: Types of Query Protocol
• From: "Leigh Dodds" <ldodds@i...>
• Date: Fri, 7 Dec 2001 11:33:32 -0000
• Importance: Normal

I've been musing on something lately, and wondered if 
this has occured to anyone else...

There seems to be several types of 'query' interfaces at 
the moment. i.e. a simple request/response interaction 
with a server. 

--

Type 1. Web based, non XML

The standard HTTP based querying that's been around for
years. Query parameters encoded as GET/POST, with response 
in protocol specific format

Type 2. Web based, XML response

Again querying is based on HTTP, parameters encoded 
as GET/POST, with response(s) in XML.

Type 3. Web based, XML request/response

XML document based query interface (e.g. XML-RPC, 
SOAP over HTTP), and XML response

Type 4. Protocol neutral, XML request/response

The high end. Protocol agnostic. E.g SOAP.

--

Does anyone think this is a useful classification?

I'd also assumed that Type 3 would be the most
interoperable way to define a query interface. However 
I'm not sure the assumption stands up: Type 2 actually 
has a lower barrier to entry. 

It's easier to repurpose existing software (CGI scripts) to 
support this kind of interface, and involves no extra software 
on the server side (i.e. no XML parser). It's also a useful 
approach for providing interfaces that can be used by XSLT, 
for example.

Type 2 can also be used to boot-strap into a purely 
Type 3 environment.

Any thoughts?

Cheers,

L.

-- 
Leigh Dodds, Research Group, Ingenta | "Pluralitas non est ponenda
http://weblogs.userland.com/eclectic |    sine necessitate"
http://www.xml.com/pub/xmldeviant    |     -- William of Ockham

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