> I have been fighting, for a while now, with idiot data vendors that think XML
> is a cure all. The problem is that XML is a hierarchical format where as SQL is
> a relational format.
>
> It would be good to get pg_dump to write an XML file and DTD, but getting
> external sources of XML into PostgreSQL is WAY more complicated. If an XML
> import is to be useful beyond just a different format for pg_dump, there has to
> be some intelligent database construction based on the XML information.
>
> Go to mp3.com, and download some of their XML format data, first, it is bad
> XML, second, it is hierarchical.
>
> I have managed to get several XML files into PostgreSQL by writing a parser,
> and it is a huge hassle, the public parsers are too picky. I am thinking that a
> fuzzy parser, combined with some intelligence and an XML DTD reader, could make
> a very cool utility, one which I have not been able to find.
>
> Perhaps it is a two stage process? First pass creates a schema which can be
> modified/corrected, the second pass loads the data.
Can we accept only relational XML. Does that buy us anything? Are the
other database vendors outputting heirchical XML? Are they using
foreign/primary keys to do it?
-- Bruce Momjian | http://candle.pha.pa.us pgman@candle.pha.pa.us | (610)
853-3000+ If your life is a hard drive, | 830 Blythe Avenue + Christ can be your backup. | Drexel Hill,
Pennsylvania19026