Native XML databases provide access to back-end data sources (e.g., relational data, file system data) via standard database access methods, such as Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) and Open Database Connectivity (ODBC). This means that almost any database--from FileMaker, MySQL, and PostgreSQL to Oracle, DB2, and Sybase--is accessible as a source or target for XML translations
Native XML databases available today are in their first few release cycles. Most of the early adopters of the technology are in the financial or manufacturing sectors and are mainly using native XML databases to speed up transaction processing. Two of the most mature native XML databases are Software AG's Tamino XML database and Ipedo's Ipedo XML Database.
The Tamino XML database offers easy accessibility to data in relational databases through its support for ODBC. It has a knowledge base where XML document type definitions--called DTDs--can be stored. Also included is an administrative interface that helps you manage collections of data. Tamino is available for the Solaris and Windows operating systems and it can work with such leading Web servers as Apache and iPlanet and with middle-tier application servers.
The Ipedo XML database is available on Solaris, Windows, and Linux. Like the Tamino XML database, Ipedo's native XML database supports the storage of XML documents and DTDs. Ipedo includes a set of Java-based APIs that you can use to link the database with Web applications.
Ipedo is also unique among native XML databases in that it uses main-memory database technology to speed processing even further. Main-memory database technology uses memory to process and store data rather than using disk-based methods that a typical relational database might. Disk-based database-processing methods increase CPU use and disk I/O operations, whereas main-memory databases perform their work in memory--a process that uses much less CPU and only occasional disk I/O cycles to speed up performance.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
