XSD to XML Conversion

XML and XSD format data for transfer.

XML (eXtensible Markup Language) is a standardized method of describing data and the relationships between data. XML is used to simplify the transfer of data between different computer systems as it flows in a format (simple text) that all computer systems understand.

XML

XML defines data by tags. To set up the transfer of a person's name, an XML snippet could resemble the following:

<Name>

<SurName>Smith</SurName>

<FirstName>John</FirstName>

</Name>

XSD

XSD (Xml Schema Definition) is a method of defining the data in an XML document. It states what data can be there and its format. It's used to create the XML and validate that the data entered is correct. The snippet for the above "name" XML might look like this:

<xsd:element name="Name"

minOccurs="0"

maxOccurs="unbounded">

<xsd:complexType>

<xsd:sequence>

<xsd:element name="SurName" type="xsd:string"/>

<xsd:element name="FirstName" type="xsd:string"/>

</xsd:sequence>

</xsd:complexType>

</xsd:element>

XSD to XML Conversion

XSD is not converted to XML--XSD is actually valid XML. XSD would be used by a programming language such as Java or PHP to take data and turn it into XML, and validate that it was done correctly.

References

• W3C Schools: Intro to XML Schemas
• Fifteen Seconds: Understand XSD Schemas