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XML Concepts Overview

XML is a flexible way to create common information formats. You can import XML definitions into PowerCenter from the following file types. XML files contain tags that identify data in the XML file, but not the format of the data.

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237 views

XML Concepts Overview

XML is a flexible way to create common information formats. You can import XML definitions into PowerCenter from the following file types. XML files contain tags that identify data in the XML file, but not the format of the data.

Uploaded by

ypraju
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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XML Concepts Overview

By PenchalaRaju.Yanamala

Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a flexible way to create common


information formats and to share the formats and data between applications and
on the internet.

You can import XML definitions into PowerCenter from the following file types:

XML file. An XML file contains data and metadata. An XML file can reference a
Document Type Definition file (DTD) or an XML schema definition (XSD) for
validation.
DTD file. A DTD file defines the element types, attributes, and entities in an
XML file. A DTD file provides some constraints on the XML file structure but a
DTD file does not contain any data.
XML schema. An XML schema defines elements, attributes, and type
definitions. Schemas contain simple and complex types. A simple type is an
XML element or attribute that contains text. A complex type is an XML element
that contains other elements and attributes.
Schemas support element, attribute, and substitution groups that you can
reference throughout a schema. Use substitution groups to substitute one
element with another in an XML instance document. Schemas also support
inheritance for elements, complex types, and element and attribute groups.

XML Files

XML files contain tags that identify data in the XML file, but not the format of the
data. The basic component of an XML file is an element. An XML element
includes an element start tag, element content, and element end tag. All XML
files must have a root element defined by a single tag at the top and bottom of
the file. The root element encloses all the other elements in the file.

An XML file models a hierarchical database. The position of an element in an


XML hierarchy represents its relationships to other elements. An element can
contain child elements, and elements can inherit characteristics from other
elements.

For example, the following XML file describes a book:

<book>
<title>Fun with XML</title>
<chapter>
<heading>Understanding XML</heading>
<heading>Using XML</heading>
</chapter>

<chapter>
<heading>Using DTD Files</heading>
<heading>Fun with Schemas</heading>
</chapter>
</book>
Book is the root element and it contains the title and chapter elements. Book is
the parent element of title and chapter, and chapter is the parent of heading. Title
and chapter are sibling elements because they have the same parent.

An element can have attributes that provide additional information about the
element. In the following example, the attribute graphic_type describes the
content of picture:

<picture graphic_type="gif">computer.gif</picture>

Enclosure element. An element that contains other elements but does not
contain data. An enclosure element can include other enclosure elements.
Global element. An element that is a direct child of the root element. You can
reference global elements throughout an XML schema.
Leaf element. An element that does not contain other elements. A leaf element
is the lowest level element in the XML hierarchy.
Local element. An element that is nested in another element. You can
reference local elements only within the context of the parent element.
Multiple-occurring element. An element that occurs more than once within its
parent element. Enclosure elements can be multiple-occurring elements.
Parent chain. The succession of child-parent elements that traces the path
from an element to the root.
Parent element. An element that contains other elements.
Single-occurring element. An element that occurs once within its parent.
Validating XML Files with a DTD or Schema

A valid XML file conforms to the structure of an associated DTD or schema file.

To reference the location and name of a DTD file, use the DOCTYPE declaration
in an XML file. The DOCTYPE declaration also names the root element for the
XML file.

For example, the following XML file references the location of the note.dtd file:

<?xml version="1.0"?>

<!DOCTYPE note SYSTEM

"http://www.w3schools.com/dtd/note.dtd">

<note>

<body>XML Data</body>

</note>

To reference a schema, use the schemaLocation declaration. The


schemaLocation contains the location and name of a schema.

The following XML file references the note.xsd schema in an external location:

<?xml version="1.0"?>

<note xsi:SchemaLocation="http://www.w3schools.com note.xsd">


<body>XML Data</body>

</note>

Unicode Encoding

An XML file contains an encoding attribute that indicates the code page in the
file. The most common encodings are UTF-8 and UTF-16. UTF-8 represents a
character with one to four bytes, depending on the Unicode symbol. UTF-16
represents a character as a 16-bit word.

The following example shows a UTF-8 attribute in an XML file:

<?xml version="1.0"encoding="UTF-8"?>

<note xsi:SchemaLocation="http://www.w3schools.com note.xsd">

<body>XML Data</body>

</note>

DTD Attributes

Attributes provide additional information about elements. In a DTD file, an


attribute occurs inside the starting tag of an element.

The following syntax describes an attribute in a DTD file:

<!ATTLIST element_name attribute_name attribute_type “default_value”>


The following parameters identify an attribute in a DTD file:

Element_name. The name of the element that has the attribute.


Attribute_name. The name of the attribute.
Attribute_type. The kind of attribute. The most common attribute type is
CDATA. A CDATA attribute is character data.
Default_value. The value of the attribute if no attribute value occurs in the XML
file.
Use the following options with a default value:
-
#REQUIRED. The XML file must contain the attribute value.
-
#IMPLIED. The attribute value is optional.
#FIXED. The XML file must contain the default value from the DTD file. A valid
XML file can contain the same attribute value as the DTD, or the XML file can
have no attribute value. You must specify a default value with this option.
-
The following example shows an attribute with a fixed value:

<!ATTLIST product product_name CDATA #FIXED “vacuum”>

The element name is product. The attribute is product_name. The attribute has a
default value, vacuum.

XML Schema Files

An XML schema is a document that defines the valid content of XML files. An
XML schema file, like a DTD file, contains only metadata. An XML schema
defines the structure and type of elements and attributes for an associated XML
file. When you use a schema to define an XML file, you can restrict data, define
data formats, and convert data between datatypes. XML schemas support
complex types and inheritance between types. They also provide a way to
specify element and attribute groups, ANY content, and circular references
Cardinality

Element cardinality in a DTD or schema file is the number of times an element


occurs in an XML file. Element cardinality affects how you structure groups in an
XML definition. Absolute cardinality and relative cardinality of elements affect the
structure of an XML definition.

Absolute Cardinality

The absolute cardinality of an element is the number of times an element occurs


within its parent element in an XML hierarchy. DTD and XML schema files
describe the absolute cardinality of elements within the hierarchy. A DTD file
uses symbols, and an XML schema file uses the <minOccurs> and
<maxOccurs> attributes to describe the absolute cardinality of an element.

For example, an element has an absolute cardinality of once (1) if the element
occurs once within its parent element. However, the element might occur many
times within an XML hierarchy if the parent element has a cardinality of one or
more (+).

The absolute cardinality of an element determines its null constraint. An element


that has an absolute cardinality of one or more (+) cannot have null values, but
an element with a cardinality of zero or more (*) can have null values. An
attribute marked as fixed or required in an XML schema or DTD file cannot have
null values, but an implied attribute can have null values.

Table 1-2 describes how DTD and XML schema files represent cardinality:

Table 1-2. Cardinality of Elements in XML


Absolute Cardinality DTD Schema
Zero or once ? minOccurs=0 maxOccurs=1
Zero or one or more times * minOccurs=0 maxOccurs=unbounded
minOccurs=0 maxOccurs=n
Once minOccurs=1 maxOccurs=1
One or more times + minOccurs=1 maxOccurs=unbounded
minOccurs=1 maxOccurs=n
Note: You can declare a maximum number of occurrences or an unlimited
occurrences in a schema

Relative Cardinality

Relative cardinality is the relationship of an element to another element in the


XML hierarchy. An element can have a one-to-one, one-to-many, or many-to-
many relationship to another element in the hierarchy.

An element has a one-to-one relationship with another element if every


occurrence of one element can have one occurrence of the other element. For
example, an employee element can have one social security number element.
Employee and social security number have a one-to-one relationship.

An element has a one-to-many relationship with another element if every


occurrence of one element can have multiple occurrences of another element.
For example, an employee element can have multiple email addresses.
Employee and email address have a one-to-many relationship.

An element has a many-to-many relationship with another element if an XML file


can have multiple occurrences of both elements. For example, an employee
might have multiple email addresses and multiple street addresses. Email
address and street address have a many-to-many relationship
XML Path

XMLPath (XPath) is a language that describes a way to locate items in an XML


file. XPath uses an addressing syntax based on the route through the hierarchy
from the root to an element or attribute. An XML path can contain long schema
component names.

XPath uses a slash (/) to distinguish between elements in the hierarchy. XML
attributes are preceded by “@” in the XPath.
Using XML with PowerCenter Overview

You can create an XML definition in PowerCenter from an XML file, DTD file,
XML schema, flat file definition, or relational table definition. When you create an
XML definition, the Designer extracts XML metadata and creates a schema in the
repository. The schema provides the structure from which you edit and validate
the XML definition.

An XML definition can contain multiple groups. In an XML definition, groups are
called views. The relationship between elements in the XML hierarchy defines
the relationship between the views. When you create an XML definition, the
Designer creates views for multiple-occurring elements and complex types in a
schema by default. The relative cardinality of elements in an XML hierarchy
affects how PowerCenter creates views in an XML definition. Relative cardinality
determines if elements can be part of the same view.

The Designer defines relationships between the views in an XML definition by


keys. Source definitions do not require keys, but target views must have them.
Each view has a primary key that is an XML element or a generated key.

When you create an XML definition, you can create a hierarchical model or an
entity relationship model of the XML data. When you create a hierarchical model,
you create a normalized or denormalized hierarchy. A normalized hierarchy
contains separate views for multiple-occurring elements. A denormalized
hierarchy has one view with duplicate data for multiple-occurring elements.

If you create an entity model, the Designer creates views for complex types and
multiple-occurring elements. The Designer creates an XML definition that models
the inheritance and circular relationships the schema provides.
Importing XML Metadata

When you import an XML definition, the Designer creates a schema in the
repository for the definition. The repository schema provides the structure from
which you edit and validate the XML definition.

You can create metadata from the following file types:

XML files
DTD files
XML schema files
Relational tables
Flat files

Importing Metadata from an XML File

In an XML file, a pair of tags marks the beginning and end of each data element.
These tags are the basis for the metadata that PowerCenter extracts from the
XML file. If you import an XML file without an associated DTD or XML schema,
the Designer reads the XML tags to determine the elements, their possible
occurrences, and their position in the hierarchy. The Designer checks the data
within the element tags and assigns a datatype depending on the data
representation. You can change the datatypes for these elements in the XML
definition.

Figure 2-1 shows a sample XML file. The root element is Employees. Employee
is a multiple occurring element. The Employee element contains the LastName,
FirstName, and Address. The Employee element also contains the multiple-
occurring elements: Phone and Email.

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