About XML File Databases

Extensible Markup Language (XML) defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable. XML is often used to exchange data over the Internet.

You can use the Database Setup wizard to convert hierarchical XML files to a flat database table in which each row represents a record of data and each column represents a field. The topics in this section describe how the structure of your XML file influences the fields and records that result from this conversion. They also describe the options in the Database Setup wizard that you can use to configure your database for use as a data source for your BarTender document.

As with text and SAPIDoc files, the XML file that you provide in the wizard is considered to be a sample file that is replaced with a different file during automated printing. Therefore, the sample file should contain examples of all elements and attributes that are likely to appear in the XML files that you will use for printing. The database schema (column names) is created from these attribute and element nodes. If a node is missing, a corresponding column (field) name is not created for it.

ClosedExample

The following example illustrates how a simple XML file is converted to a flat database table.

The sample XML file is as follows.

When you connect BarTender to the XML file by using the Database Setup wizard, the XML is converted to the following database table.

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