XML Data Storage Technologies and Trends

Key Findings:

  • XML content needs to be stored in a manner that it can be searched and retrieved back in XML format. This seemingly simple requirement has profound impact for existing data storage technologies.
  • Expenditure on XML Storage solutions will grow from $75 million in 2000 to over $4.1 Billion (US) in 2005
  • XML-enabled RDBMS vendors consumed only 15% of that market in 2000, but will consume over 65% of the total expenditure by 2005.
  • Native XML Data Store (NXD) vendors will realize around $1.6 Billion in revenue by 2005
  • The primary methods in use today for storing XML documents include XML-enabled (or extended) relational databases, NXDs, Content Management stores, and file systems.
  • NXDs will increasingly become a solution of choice for storage of document-oriented XML content as well as Web Services, B2B messaging, and other transactional formats.
  • RDBMS vendors will continue to add XML support to their systems to provide users a way to leverage their existing storage assets.
  • XML Query standards will mature over the next 6-12 months.
  • The integration and use of Web Services within XML data store vendors will determine the future of XML-enabled RDBMS vendors and NXD providers.
  • Companies should base their storage architecture decisions on the amount of XML they are producing and the extensibility of that data.
  • Relational and XML data differ in many, significant ways. The implication is that these two, very different data types may require two, very different storage solutions.

Table of Contents:

  • I. Report Scope
  • II. XML Data Storage: A Market Overview
    • 2.1 XML Data Storage
    • 2.2 Structured, Semi-Structured, and Relational Content in the Enterprise
  • III. Drivers for XML Storage
    • 3.1 Content Management, Reuse, and Single-Source Publishing
    • 3.2 Web Services and Service-Oriented Integration
    • 3.3 e-Business Messaging and Business Process Auditing
    • 3.4 Effective Content Searching
    • 3.5 XML-driven Web Sties
    • 3.6 Device Communications and Data Storage
  • IV. Support for XML in RDBMS Systems
    • 4.1 Strategies for Storing XML Data in Relational Databases
    • 4.2 Advantages of XML Extensions to RDBMS systems
    • 4.3 Disadvantages of XML-Enabled RDBMS systems
    • 4.4 Current Support of XML features in RDBMS Products
    • 4.5. XML-Enabled RDBMS Market Growth
  • V. “Native” XML Data Stores (NXDs)
    • 5.1 The Native XML Data Store Defined
    • 5.2 NXD Storage Architectures
    • 5.3 Advantages of NXDs
    • 5.4 Disadvantages of NXDs
    • 5.5 NXD Market Size and Growth
    • 5.6 WS Support in NXD
    • 5.7 Schema-dependent vs. Schema-Independent Approaches
    • 5.8 Eliminating the Need for Data Modeling?
  • VI. Barriers to XML Data Store Adoption and Alternatives
    • 6.1 XML-based Data Integration
    • 6.2 Content Management as an Alternative to NXDs?
    • 6.3 Architectures and Performance Challenges
    • 6.4 Uncertain Direction of XML Standards
    • 6.5 When Does the 800-pound Gorilla Enter?
    • 6.6 Web Services Support in NXDs
    • 6.7 Value-Adding XML Storage
  • VII. Key XML Storage and Retrieval Standards
    • 7.1 XPath
    • 7.2 XQuery
    • 7.3 XLink
    • 7.4 The Document Object Model (DOM)
    • 7.5 Z39.50 Search and Retrieval Protocol
    • 7.6 WebDAV
    • 7.7 XUpdate
  • VIII. ROI for XML Storage
    • 8.1 Taking advantage of the “X” in XML
    • 8.2 Enabling Integration
    • 8.3 Enabling Content Reuse
    • 8.4 XML Data Storage Evaluation Criteria
  • IX. Market Size and Future Trends
    • 9.1 Market Adoption of XML Data Stores
    • 9.2 Trend: Embedding of XML Data Stores
    • 9.3 NXD Vendor Positioning
    • 9.4 NXDs as UDDI repositories
    • 9.5 XML Metadata Mining
  • X. Conclusions
    • 10.1 Key Notes
    • 10.2 Decision Points
    • 10.3 Figures
    • 10.4 Tables
  • XI. Profiled Vendors
    • 11.1 RDBMS Vendors with XML Extensions
    • 11.2 Native XML Data Store Vendors
  • A. Related Research
  • B. Supporting Resource
  • C. Trademark Notice and Statement of Opinion
  • About ZapThink, LLC

Download the Full Report