Who Should Attend

Database users, application developers, web designers, system architects, and content providers and authors working with web documents.

Prerequisites

Web Page Development (ES0590) or equivalent knowledge.
Familiarity with HTML.
A basic understanding of XML, including the concepts of elements and attributes is helpful.
Some procedural programming experience (e.g. Visual Basic, C++, VBA). Visual basic is used in the course.

What you will learn

• Understand the benefits of using XML
• Learn the requirements of a well-formed XML document
• Use Document Type Definitions (DTD) and DML Schemas.
• Generate HTML from XML documents using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
• Become familiar with SOAP
• Build database applications with relational databases (including SQL Server 2000), ActiveX Data Objects (ADO), and XML, using XML data in the most appropriate places in the application
• Use XML to make remote method calls, using SOAP and Microsoft's ROPE across HTTP and through firewalls
• Create client applications using Internet Explorer and XML that provide the user with a customized and interactive user experience
• Use XML on a Web server to provide cross-browser support for Web applications and persist state
• Use XML as a cross-platform way to communicate data between the components in an n-tier, distributed application

Course Outline

1. Introducing the Extensible Markup Language (XML)
   • What is XML
   • The Structure of XML Data
   • Forms of Content
   • XML Namespaces
   • Well-Formed and Valid XML
2. Document Type Definitions (DTD)
   • The Value of Valid XML
   • The Structure of DTD
   • Document Type Definitions
   • Defining the Content Model: Elements
   • Defining the Content Model: Attributes
   • What's the Problem with DTD?
3. XML Schemas 
   • The State of Schemas
   • The Structure of Schemas
   • Using XML with Schemas
   • The Emerging XML Schema Standard
   • Do I Really Need Valid XML?
4. The Document Object Model (DOM) 
   • Two Way s to Work with XML Data
   • Introducing the DOM
   • Using the DOM with VB, IE and ASP
   • Navigating the Hierarchy
   • Changing XML Data
5. Simple API for XML (SAX)
   • A Parsing Alternative to DOM
   • The SAX Content Handler
   • Extracting XML Content
   • XML Output with the MXXML Writer Object
   • Handling Parsing Errors
   • DOM vs. SAX: Which is Better?
   • XLM Output with MXXML Writer Object
6. Cascading Style Sheets
   • Separating Presentation from Data
   • The Structure of CSS
   • Formatting Data
   • Advanced CSS Formatting
   • XSL FormattingObjects
7. Databases and XML
   • Using XML in Database Applications
   • OLE DB and ADO
   • Working with XML Data in ADO
   • XML and SQL Server 2000
8. Soap on a Rope: XML and Web Services
   • History of Remote Procedure Calls
   • Introducing SOAP
   • Programming SOAP
   • Microsoft's SOAP Toolkit
   • Programming SOAP on a Rope
9. XML on the Client: Internet Explorer Applications
   • Where Should XML be Processed?
   • XML Data Islands
   • XML Data Source Object
   • Storing Local State
   • Security Considerations
10. XML on the Server
    • Why Use XML on the Server?
    • Using the Server XMLHTTP Object and XMLHTTP Request Objects
11. XML in Distributed Applications
    • Building Distributed Applications with XML
    • Moving Data Around a Distributed Application
    • A Distributed Example
12. Extensible Hypertext Markup Language (XHTML)
13. Maximizing XML Performance

Course Duration

Three (3) days

Course Schedule

Go to Epcom Course Schedule

Course Materials

• Comprehensive course workbook/summary
• Courseware on CD-ROM
• Course certificate of completion