Before you start

In this section, you'll find out what to expect from this tutorial and how to get the most out of it.

About this series

This series of five tutorials helps you prepare to take the IBM certification Test 142, XML and Related Technologies, to attain the IBM Certified Solution Developer - XML and Related Technologies certification. This certification identifies an intermediate-level developer who designs and implements applications that make use of XML and related technologies such as XML Schema, Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformation (XSLT), and XPath. This developer has a strong understanding of XML fundamentals; has knowledge of XML concepts and related technologies; understands how data relates to XML, in particular with issues associated with information modeling, XML processing, XML rendering, and Web services; has a thorough knowledge of core XML-related World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommendations; and is familiar with well-known, best practices.

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About this tutorial

This tutorial is for programmers who have a basic understanding of XML and whose skills and experience are at a beginning-to-intermediate level. You should have a general familiarity with defining, validating, and reading XML.

The standardized nature of XML has given rise to a number of derivative cross-platform, cross-language parsers and derivative technologies. Parts 1 through 4 of this series discussed applied aspects of XML and its common related technologies (see Resources). To wrap up the series, this tutorial presents a number of rationales and hints for choosing appropriate technologies, explains how simple choices affect performance, and demonstrates simple examples of how to use common tools to test XML designs.

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Objectives

After completing this tutorial, you will know how to:

• Choose an appropriate XML technology
• Optimize a transformation
• Test an application of XML

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Prerequisites

This tutorial is for developers who have a background in programming or scripting and who understand basic computer-science models and data structures. You should be familiar with the following XML-related, computer-science concepts: tree traversal, recursion, and reuse of data. You should be familiar with Internet standards and concepts, such as Web browser, client-server, documenting, formatting, e-commerce, and Web applications. Experience in designing and implementing Java™-based computer applications and working with relational databases is also recommended.

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System requirements

This tutorial's testing and demonstration tools -- Internet Explorer® 6.0, Mozilla Firefox 1.5, Altova XMLSpy Home Edition, and IBM® Rational® Application Developer for WebSphere Software V6.0 -- are all either free, bundled with Microsoft® Windows®, or available as time-limited free evaluation copies. Procure them on the Web from the links provided in Resources.

You might also find the following tools useful:

• FireBug: A Firefox browser Document Object Model (DOM) and script extension
• XMLBuddy: An XML editor plug-in for the Eclipse integrated development environment (IDE)

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Table of contents

• Before you start
• Choosing an appropriate XML technology
• Optimizing transformations, refining design
• Testing XML
• Conclusion
• Resources
• About the author

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