XML Data Binding for the JavaTM 2 Platform aims to automatically generate substantial portions of the JavaTM platform code that processes XML data. Data binding applications will be small and fast, suitable for server-side applications and other applications where processing efficiency is paramount. And, since the Java platform is vendor-neutral, those applications will run anywhere.

Eric Armstrong of Sun has written an XML white paper titled "Code Fast, Run Fast with XML Data Binding," providing background information on schemas and giving a conceptual overview of the data binding process. It also provides an overview of the other major XML processing mechanisms, SAX and DOM, for an understanding of where data binding fits in the XML landscape.

The data binding specification project, codenamed "Adelard," is currently being developed through the Java Community ProcessSM program. The project was initiated by Sun in order to maximize the efficiency of XML processing applications, especially those with strict requirements for data validation.

With XML data binding, XML schema definitions (which dictate data structures and place restrictions on data contents) are automatically translated into JavaTM Foundation Classes. The generated classes then do the work of parsing the XML code, building the internal data structures and validating data contents. These classes are "lightweight" in the sense that they carry no unnecessary functionality. As a result, data binding applications will use a minimum amount of memory and run as efficiently as possible. The use of data binding, coupled with high-performance virtual machines like the Java HotSpotTM virtual machine, makes it possible to deliver and maintain high-performance XML processing applications with a minimum of development effort.

Sections of the white paper include:

• Background: How XML gets Processed -- Covers the two major mechanisms for dealing with XML data and documents: SAX and DOM.

• Data Validation: A Major Requirement for Business -- Schemas play a vital role in the world of XML data. A schema tells the database system how the data is structured and what kinds of data are valid. The schema definition allows for automated data checking, known as data validation. However, while Data Type Definition (DTD) specifications for XML allow the validation of data structure, they did not allow the validation of data content.

• Automatic Validation Boosts Productivity -- If content validation can be automated, as well as structure validation, then application development times can be reduced, along with the cost of ongoing maintenance. But the cost of doing automatic validation using SAX and DOM figures to be somewhat higher than doing the same job with data binding.

The Adelard project for XML Data Binding promises to significantly improve the performance and functionality of a wide base of server-based programs and other high-performance applications. Because it compiles a schema into Java programming language code, it allows efficient validation of data content as well as data structure. In addition, the resulting applications are eminently portable.

For examples, illustrations and technical details, please visit:

http://java.sun.com/xml/jaxp/dist/1.0.1/docs/binding/DataBinding.html [...read more...]

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