Blog: David Loshin

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XML Schemas and Strict Typing - First thoughts

Do the structures described within XML schemas correspond to classes and objects described in Java or C++, or to entity relationship models? There seems to be a little bit of a debate on the topic. As an example, there does seem to be a correlation, which leads to the ability to automate the generation of Java classes that mimic XML schemas (see The Sun Java XML Binding Compiler for details).

On the other hand, the flexibility in defining schemas allows a clever (albeit, devious) practitioner to define structures that would challenge any object-oriented programmer.

I am currently looking at a project where we are reviewing the way XML schemas are defined in a way that eases the design of its supporting software. I have some definite ideas about this, but I'm interested in hearing some ideas from you readers. I will follow up on this topic, perhaps in an upcoming article.

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