[xquery-talk] xquery technology now ready?

[Liam R E Quin]

On Wed, 2013-12-11 at 23:08 +0000, e-letter wrote:


> [...]

>  once I realised
> xquery needs a server,

No, it doesn't.

There are several components:
1. an XQuery engine; some of these can run directly on an XML file with
no database; others require a database, and some can work either way.

2. A Web server, for hosting the Web pages - this could run on your own
computer if necessary, e.g. with a Web server like Abyss or with an
XQuery engine such as eXist or BaseX which include their own Web server.

3. A remote hosting system (e.g. a Linux-based server): hardware
(possibly virtual) to run the Web server software if you want other
people to see it all round the globe.

In this regard the needs for XQuery are very similar to doing "LAMP"
development with Apache and MySQL.

For example, the zero-dollar Abyss personal Web server is fine for
development, or if you already have Apache running on your ipad or
laptop or 'phone or whatever, that's fine too.

Saxon and BaseX (both Java-based) can run locally on XML files; BaseX
can also use its own database, and can be called from PHP. The
collection of thumbnail images on my own Web site -
http://www.fromoldbooks.org/ - is currently produced with BaseX, as is
the search page, using a database; some of my other pages are done with
a different XQuery engine (one called Qizx) just because I've never
taken the half hour or so it might need to switch them over.

eXist and BaseX can provide a Web server and a forest store; you can
load collections of trees from XML documents and then use XQuery to
query them.

There are lots of other XQuery implementations - these are just a few.

My Linux system also came with a database called Virtuoso that
implements SQL, SPARQL and XQuery, although I haven't tried it.

Liam

-- 
Liam Quin - XML Activity Lead, W3C, http://www.w3.org/People/Quin/
Pictures from old books: http://fromoldbooks.org/
Ankh: irc.sorcery.net irc.gnome.org freenode/#xml