Customer Reviews

Definitive XML Schema

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There are quite a few books about XML Schema in the market. There are quite a few freebie tutorials on the web too. These may serve your purpose well enough if you are merely trying to acquire an overview of the subject. But if you are like me, learning XML schema on the job and having trouble finding specific answers as you design a new schema or worse extend an exisiting schema, this book is certainly for you.

Namespaces are a fairly complex topic and they are handled very well in this textbook. Much of my confusion about how to mix and match the SimpleContent, SimpleType, ComplexContent and ComplexType tags vanished after I read the relevant chapters. The last chapter on reuse and extension is a gem and shows that Walmsley is not one of the rapidly proliferating clan of writers whose chapters are mere rephrasings of the manuals. She brings impressive credentials from the W3C and it shows in each page.

I was in the middle of extending a schema when I ran out and bought this book. I ran into some truly murky waters with deterministic and non deterministic schemas when my Microsoft XML parser threw up its hands and refused to validate my XML against my XSD because it was non deterministic. I could find few satisfactory solutions elsewhere. This book gave me all the answers I needed.

If you are a serious schema developer, buy this book, its well worth the money.

I read this book from cover to cover this weekend. That fact alone tells you something about its contents! If you are the sort of person who finds the W3C's XML Schema specification completely transparent and easy to read then Priscilla Walmsley's book is useless fluff. If, however, like virtually everyone on the planet, you find the XML Schema specification indecipherable, do yourself a favour: either forget totally about the abomination that is XML Schema OR read Priscilla's book and discover that XML Schema is finite, is do-able and has certain simplifying characteristics (such as the fact that all named components must be global) that make it tolerable.

The process of reading this book is effortless. Every sentence is crafted to be illuminating without the merest hint of padding. This book is really a comprehensive reference manual that reads like a coherent novel while at the same time lacking pretentious verbiage.

As 2002 dawned, I resolved not to buy any more books...I have far too many and all the specifications are available free online anyway. Having struggled for days with a few online articles and the three XML Schema specification documents, I decided that I really did need the help of a book...but thought it unlikely that I would find one that was little more than a rehash of the specs. In a sense, Priscilla's book is a rehash of the specs. in as much as it doesn't present anything more than can be found in the specs. The presentation is what counts here though: clear examples for EVERY aspect of the syntax; well-organized content that at every point assumes no more knowledge that has been presented earlier.

Thanks Priscilla for changing my perception of XML Schema and for providing a book that was easy to read and that is now my number one reference for XML Schema :-)

As a professional application developer I don't have the luxury of time to read through massive "door-stops" to get up and running with a new topic. I'm sure many other programmers out there share the same constraint. I normally will not give a computer reference book, or any book for that matter, a chance if it isn't clear, concise and well organized. In short, if it cannot explain a concept clearly in the first few pages or if I find myself reading a chapter over and over again, it isn't worth the little time I do have.

After reading the positive reviews on Amazon I decided to take a chance and purchase it. Even after I received the book I approached it with the same air of skepticism as any other book I pick up and I must say that I was "hooked" the moment I started to read it. I found Priscilla's writing style to be effortless and fluid, clearly explaining the topic with plenty of examples to illustrate each concept. The topics are presented in logical order, but the book is approachable from any starting point within it. A fantastic read and an invaluable reference for anyone seriously involved with XML Schema. I place this book within quick reach in my library.

When learning to apply a new technology such as XML Schema, XSLT, XPath, etc, I will sometimes approach it with a misconception of overcomplication, thinking that the topic will be so difficult to understand that it will take months to grasp. Picking the right book can make all the difference. Some books only aim to exhaustively detail the mechanics and spew theories without any consideration for the practical application of the technology. And that type of book may be for some, but when you're under the constraint of time, there is little use for theory for the rest of us who need to have a product done by yesterday! This book is immediately practical and approachable from page 1! XML Schema is very easy to understand when it is explained by a professional who can effectively communicate. If you want this in a book, then Priscilla Walmsley is the person that delivers. If you are looking for the best guide to XML Schema on the planet, your journey has come to and end; look no further.

"Definitive XML Schema" is excellent and I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to learn more about this technology!!

I'm new to XML, Schemas, etc. This is my first book regarding XML, and I feel like I came away with a lot of knowledge from it. I'm sure you can get the table of contents from other reviews and from Amazon's "sneak peeks", so I'll forego that and get on with personal opinion. Walmsley has a nice, clear writing style that only requires one read to grasp her points. Yes, I understand that most (if not all) of this material is living for free on one or more web sites, but I prefer to have it all in one well-written book. This was definitely worth the money.

I'm really pleased with this book. It is the clearest introduction to the subject I have found. It even made namespaces seem simple. It can be read sequentially, but also used as a reference. Some reviewers thought it was just a retelling of the spec (which in itself is quite useful given the complexity of the spec!) but I think it had a lot more than that, because it explained why you use certain functionality and in what situations, something the spec doesn't seem to address. The chapter on Extensibility and Reuse was particularly helpful to us in writing schemas that can be extended and reused by others who want to customize ours. I also really like that the author is part of the committee that designed XML Schema - it gives me confidence that the book is accurate and current.

Walmsley's book is the one I go to as the reference for W3C Schema. It is clear and very accurate and reliable. I find the examples relevant and helpful.

I had to chuckle at a previous review that couldn't understand why something was found in multiple places. Well perhaps it is used in several places. I would be happy that the index was thorough. Schema is a somewhat complicated language but Walmsley provides transparency and order.

I recommend this book to my clients and in classes I teach on XML and Schema regulalrly.

At first, I found the format a bit cumbersome -- it is not necessarily well-suited to individuals that want only a high-level understanding of XML Schema. However, after getting involved in a project that required defining equivalences between XML Schemas and a proprietary type system, I found this book to be extraordinarily useful and thorough. It now has lots of highlighted sections and tabbed pages. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has the need to invest significant time in understanding XMLSchema.

This book is a very clear, thorough treatment of XML Schema. I was very pleased to find that such a book exists after struggling with the specification. I think the author gave a lot of thought to good schema (and document) design and incorporated her ideas throughout the book. So, I felt that I was getting not just technical information but also advice from an experienced consultant.

I have a standing order with Amazon for any XML Schema related books and to date this is the best I have read. I have chosen to use this book as the text for an upcoming University level XML Schema Course I am designing. The author has a very understandable writing style and presents the complicated materials in a clear and concise manner.

The author is an active member of the W3C's XML Schema Working Group and is very active on both the XML-DEV and SCHEMA-DEV mailing lists. She has taken time to answer many questions from Schema Designers and Implementers and I don't know many people who can match her knowledge in the subject area.

If you are looking for a book that is understandable and has many legal and illegal example to learn from this is the book for you. The author has also provided some online augmentation to the book that I find very useful. You are also going to get information from one of the designers of the XML Schema Recommendations. You can't ask for more

The XML Schema specification is becoming an increasingly important part of the IT industry. When implemented, it is a complex and feature rich technology that is frequently underestimated.

Walmsley's book truly is the *definitive* guide. I have yet to read a more comprehensive and useful book on the subject matter. It is an intelligently written tutorial that sheds clarity on even the most advanced aspects of the XML schema language.

While this is a thorough text, suitable for those new to XML schema, it is especially useful for those of us who need to create and maintain schema definitions in the real world. I have yet to find a part of the schema language the book does not address. The level completeness is comforting, because it can be difficult to incorporate a technology in the best possible way, without understanding and exploring all it has to offer.

Finally, it should be mentioned that this book does not just document the XML schema language. It also provides tips and insights into how to apply various features that draw upon the author's experience. This information alone is worth the cost of the book - applying Walmsley's best practices can spare you a great deal of trial and error.

Highly recommended!