The XML Schema Companion [Import] [Paperback]

Neil Bradley (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 3980814750 | ISBN-13: 978-3980814751 | Publication Date: November 17, 2003 | Edition: 1

Get powerful results with XML Schema-fast! The XML Schema Companion brings you up to speed on XML Schema with clarity, thoroughness, and precision. Itis the perfect introduction and reference for every content specialist, architect, and developer...including anyone working with the new schema support in Microsoft Office 2003. As in his best-selling The XML Companion and The XSL Companion, Neil Bradley carefully organizes this book to fully illuminate the most crucial concepts first. You'll begin by mastering the construction of document models. Next, you'll learn how to define data types that can serve as reusable building blocks for your documents. Then you'll be ready to master the powerful XML Schema pattern language and inheritance techniques.The XML Schema Companion: *Carefully explains the essential principles of document modeling with XML Schema *Explains how to read and interpret any XML Schema definition *Uses practical examples to illuminate schema definition and validation *Shows how to resolve schema ambiguities *Introduces XML Schema data types simply and precisely *Demonstrates how to include external components in schema-conformant documents *Presents detailed, practical coverage of namespaces and namespace switching *Introduces advanced inheritance techniques for building more flexible, powerful document models *Contains an entire chapter of tips for more effective document modeling *Includes a complete DTD for XML Schema documents and shows how to create DTD-compatible schemas

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Get powerful results with XML Schema—fast!

The XML Schema Companion brings you up to speed on XML Schema with clarity, thoroughness, and precision. Itis the perfect introduction and reference for every content specialist, architect, and developer...including anyone working with the new schema support in Microsoft Office 2003.

As in his best-selling The XML Companion and The XSL Companion, Neil Bradley carefully organizes this book to fully illuminate the most crucial concepts first. You'll begin by mastering the construction of document models. Next, you'll learn how to define data types that can serve as reusable building blocks for your documents. Then you'll be ready to master the powerful XML Schema pattern language and inheritance techniques. The XML Schema Companion:

• Carefully explains the essential principles of document modeling with XML Schema
• Explains how to read and interpret any XML Schema definition
• Uses practical examples to illuminate schema definition and validation
• Shows how to resolve schema ambiguities
• Introduces XML Schema data types simply and precisely
• Demonstrates how to include external components in schema-conformant documents
• Presents detailed, practical coverage of namespaces and namespace switching
• Introduces advanced inheritance techniques for building more flexible, powerful document models
• Contains an entire chapter of tips for more effective document modeling
• Includes a complete DTD for XML Schema documents and shows how to create DTD-compatible schemas

About the Author

NEIL BRADLEY is an XML consultant with almost 20 years' practical experience using markup languages. He is an experienced trainer, a regular speaker at industry events, and a contributor to publications such as XML Journal and interChange, the newsletter of the International SGML/XML Users' Group. He is the author of three books on XML and SGML topics published by Addison-Wesley: The XML Companion, Third Edition (2002), The XSL Companion, Second Edition (2002), and The Concise SGML Companion (1997).

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional; 1 edition (November 17, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3980814750
• ISBN-13: 978-3980814751
• ASIN: 0321136179
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,134,503 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Namespaces are the key concept, December 10, 2003

By 

W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The XML Schema Companion (Paperback)

You probably know that XML is descended from SGML, and it thus inherited DTDs, which were then the only means of specifying a document model. That proved adequate for SGML, but its limitations soon became clear in XML. Several alternatives were proposed, but XML Schema seems to be winning. Thus Bradley has delivered a timely exposition. He covers all the features clearly. A brief mention is made of its competitors, Relax NG and Schematron. But they do seem to be fading fast.

The most interesting part of Bradley's text are the chapters on namespaces. Other aspects of Schema are lower level and, while useful, are frankly mundane. By contrast, namespaces are the critical feature of Schema. They let you build on pre-existing schemas that have been published on the web. And you can publish your schemas so that others might benefit. You and those in your field or industry can cooperatively derive a net gain by agreeing and publishing standard definitions. A Network effect.

I assume that you are familiar with HTML. In that, the crucial element are the hyperlinks (the href and src attributes in certain tags). It is these that put the "H" in HTML. Without them, HTML just becomes a limited page markup language. It is that ability to link to arbitrary locations on the Internet which produced the Web. Likewise, in the much heralded Web Services, these exchange data via XML. Which in turn depends on XML Schema to build consistent hyperlinked semantics.

You should read Bradley's chapters on namespaces thoroughly.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Kangaroos jump around less than this book, September 7, 2005

By 

W. Seiger "TechnoStandardsNerd" (NH, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The XML Schema Companion (Paperback)

I purchased this book based upon recommendations listed here on Amazon. I should have looked elsewhere for reviews. This book is absolutely unreadable. The author jumps from topic to topic and then back that it makes my head spin. He refers to future chapters, future concepts, and external resources to distraction.

Specifically, in the midst of discussing simple element constructions, Mr. Bradley includes a paragraph describing television stations in the UK that has no relevance to the examples given. I'm sure he's proud of his heritage and his expertise on television in England, but what does it have to do with XML Schemas or the current example????????

I suspect that Mr. Bradley is a college professor. If he is, he should be forced to sit through recordings of his own lectures. Maybe that would cure him of his unbearable writing style.
.

6 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid reference work, December 10, 2003

By 

Jack D. Herrington "engineer and author" (Silicon Valley, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The XML Schema Companion (Paperback)

This is a solid reference work on XML Schema. I wouldn't go looking to it for advice on how to solve particular problems with XML Schema. But if you are looking for a quick reference guide that covers all of the syntax with annotated examples then you have come to the right place. The graphics, which are light-weight and to the point help to illustrate the key points.

Two minor complaints are that the structure of the book is odd (chapters at the end of the book which are clearly appendices are structured as chapters), and the index is also a little short.

On the positive note, XML schema is not a particularly exciting topic and Neil's tone keeps it a light and interesting read.

So far this is the best book I have read on the subject.