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Re: Is HTML structured or unstructured information?

• To: "Bullard, Claude L (Len)" <len.bullard@i...>
• Subject: Re: Is HTML structured or unstructured information?
• From: Peter Hunsberger <peter.hunsberger@g...>
• Date: Tue, 9 Aug 2005 13:58:06 -0500
• Cc: xml-dev@l...
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<snip/>

> So while a relational database may be a rigorous
> example for structure, I don't think that is what
> the article cited is really about.  If one is looking
> for patterns, relationships, intentions, meaning, is
> it easier to get that from a relational database or
> from an XML instance?  It depends, in my opinion,
> on how predigested the content is, not the structure
> although the structure is useful for finding an
> answer where one already knows the question and
> the structure.  Questions are harder.

It seems to me that since both relational DBs and XML allow "escape to
BLOB"; either of them can have as much or little structure as one
cares to enforce.  IMO the largest difference is the larger body of
best practices for building up good structure in relational DBs.  Eg.
normalization theory for XML is still relatively immature by
comparison...

-- 
Peter Hunsberger

• References:
  • RE: Is HTML structured or unstructured information?
    • From: "Bullard, Claude L (Len)" <len.bullard@i...>

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