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Expert: Srini Nagarajan Date: 7/29/2005 Subject: Please Help me with peculiar sitution (SOS)
Question Our vendor has developed a IIS with Asp based application to be installed at 2000+ remote locations using CD installation method. Our operating system version is more or less standard (Windows 2000 with service pack 4). Our vendor maintains its done to provide superior serach facility using XML and ease to update the content. Our total number of documents are 1000. Our connectivity is very low to provide web based solution.
Can I have the pro and CONS of such a solution. Would request if you can also provide credible URLS to support our cause in the reviewing the same.
Answer Hi
Sorry I was so busy and no time to answer imdtly.
Here are my thoughts
XML Files approach is:
* Easier for you to use in your current application.
* do not require you to store data redundantly
* can be accessed via standard XML APIs
* Data is universally understandable and portable
* Slow and memory hungry - MAJOR ISSUE
* do not allow advanced locking, synchronization and concurrency control
* do not have any support for transactions
* Not Securied - MAJOR ISSUE
Database approach is:
* Relatively complex to use in your current application.
* Data will have to be retrieved from XML files anyway
* You can use standard SQL with powerful querying facilities.
* Data retrieval is very fast - MAJOR ISSUE
* advanced locking, synchronization and concurrency control mechanisms available
* Transactions allow you better control and reliability.
* Data are securied.
If you want is ease of use and ability to transfer data easily between multiple applications than XML files approach seems right.
If on the other hand you are performance conscious, you should go for database approach. In this case you may have a backend process always running, parsing your PDX files and updating your database.
Another interesting approach might be to use a Native XML database. This will allow you to benefit from the ease of use+ portability of XML and performance of a Database. For more information on Native XML Databases please see XML Database Initiative (http://www.xmldb.org/)
