Preface

This Preface contains these topics:

• Audience

• Documentation Accessibility

• Related Documents

• Conventions

Audience

Oracle XML Developer's Kit Programmer's Guide is intended for application developers interested in learning how the various language components of the Oracle XML Developer's Kit (XDK) can work together to generate and store XML data in a database or in a document outside the database. Examples and sample applications are introduced where possible.

To use this document, you need familiarity with XML and a third-generation programming language such as Java, C, or C++.

Documentation Accessibility

Our goal is to make Oracle products, services, and supporting documentation accessible, with good usability, to the disabled community. To that end, our documentation includes features that make information available to users of assistive technology. This documentation is available in HTML format, and contains markup to facilitate access by the disabled community. Accessibility standards will continue to evolve over time, and Oracle is actively engaged with other market-leading technology vendors to address technical obstacles so that our documentation can be accessible to all of our customers. For more information, visit the Oracle Accessibility Program Web site at

http://www.oracle.com/accessibility/

Accessibility of Code Examples in Documentation

Screen readers may not always correctly read the code examples in this document. The conventions for writing code require that closing braces should appear on an otherwise empty line; however, some screen readers may not always read a line of text that consists solely of a bracket or brace.

Accessibility of Links to External Web Sites in Documentation

This documentation may contain links to Web sites of other companies or organizations that Oracle does not own or control. Oracle neither evaluates nor makes any representations regarding the accessibility of these Web sites.

TTY Access to Oracle Support Services

Oracle provides dedicated Text Telephone (TTY) access to Oracle Support Services within the United States of America 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For TTY support, call 800.446.2398.

Related Documents

For more information, see these Oracle resources:

• Oracle XML DB Developer's Guide

• Oracle Database XML C API Reference

• Oracle Database XML C++ API Reference

  Oracle Database XML Java API Reference

• Oracle Streams Advanced Queuing User's Guide and Reference

• http://www.oracle.com/technology/tech/xml/

Many of the examples in this documentation are provided with your software in the following directories:

• $ORACLE_HOME/xdk/demo/java/

• $ORACLE_HOME/xdk/demo/c/

• $ORACLE_HOME/xdk/java/sample/

• $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/demo

Many of the examples in this book use the sample schemas, which are installed by default when you select the Basic Installation option with an Oracle Database installation. Refer to Oracle Database Sample Schemas for information on how these schemas were created and how you can use them yourself.

Printed documentation is available for sale in the Oracle Store at

http://oraclestore.oracle.com/

To download free release notes, installation documentation, white papers, or other collateral, please visit the Oracle Technology Network (OTN). You must register online before using OTN; registration is free and can be done at

http://www.oracle.com/technology/membership/

If you already have a username and password for OTN, then you can go directly to the documentation section of the OTN Web site at

http://www.oracle.com/technology/documentation/

For additional information about XML, see:

• The following appendixes in Oracle XML DB Developer's Guide, which are intended as general introductions to XML technologies:

  • XML Schema Primer

  • XPath and Namespace Primer

  • XSLT Primer

• Oracle Database 10g XML & SQL: Design, Build, & Manage XML Applications in Java, C, C++, & PL/SQL by Mark Scardina, Ben Chang, and Jinyu Wang, Oracle Press, http://www.osborne.com/oracle/

• WROX publications, especially XML Design and Implementation by Paul Spencer, which covers XML, XSL, and development.

• Building Oracle XML Applications by Steve Muench, O'Reilly, http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/orxmlapp/

• The XML Bible, http://www.ibiblio.org/xml/books/biblegold/

• XML, Java, and the Future of the Web by Jon Bosak, Sun Microsystems, http://www.ibiblio.org/bosak/xml/why/xmlapps.htm

• XML for the Absolute Beginner by Mark Johnson, JavaWorld, http://www.javaworld.com/jw-04-1999/jw-04-xml_p.html

• XML And Databases by Ronald Bourret, http://www.rpbourret.com/xml/XMLAndDatabases.htm

• XML Specifications by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), http://www.w3.org/XML/

• XML.com, a broad collection of XML resources and commentary, http://www.xml.com/

• Annotated XML Specification by Tim Bray, XML.com, http://www.xml.com/axml/testaxml.htm

• XML.org, hosted by OASIS as a resource to developers of purpose-built XML languages, http://xml.org/

Conventions

This section describes the conventions used in the text and code examples of this documentation set. It describes:

• Conventions in Text

• Conventions in Code Examples

• Conventions for Windows Operating Systems

Conventions in Text

We use various conventions in text to help you more quickly identify special terms. The following table describes those conventions and provides examples of their use.

Conventions in Code Examples

Code examples illustrate SQL, PL/SQL, SQL*Plus, or other command-line statements. They are displayed in a monospace (fixed-width) font and separated from normal text as shown in this example:

SELECT username FROM dba_users WHERE username = 'MIGRATE';

The following table describes typographic conventions used in code examples and provides examples of their use.

[ ]

DECIMAL (digits [ , precision ])

{ }

{ENABLE | DISABLE}

|

{ENABLE | DISABLE}
[COMPRESS | NOCOMPRESS]

...

CREATE TABLE ... AS subquery;

SELECT col1, col2, ... , coln FROM employees;

acctbal NUMBER(11,2);
acct    CONSTANT NUMBER(4) := 3;

Italics

CONNECT SYSTEM/system_password
DB_NAME = database_name

UPPERCASE

SELECT last_name, employee_id FROM employees;
SELECT * FROM USER_TABLES;
DROP TABLE hr.employees;

lowercase

SELECT last_name, employee_id FROM employees;
sqlplus hr/hr
CREATE USER mjones IDENTIFIED BY ty3MU9;

Conventions for Windows Operating Systems

The following table describes conventions for Windows operating systems and provides examples of their use.

C:\oracle\oradata>

C:\>exp HR/HR TABLES=employees QUERY=\"WHERE job_id='SA_REP' and salary<8000\"

HOME_NAME

C:\> net start OracleHOME_NAMETNSListener