IBM To Add XML Technology To DB2 Universal Database

IBM is creating XML query and integration technology for its DB2 Universal Database, according to IBM executives. The software, being developed under the project name Xperanto, will be publicly previewed later this month and is expected to be available later this year.

IBM already offers a number of software products for integrating DB2 with other data sources, including DB2 Data Joiner, DB2 Relational Connect, and the Enterprise Information Portal. But those products are all built around the relational data paradigm, says Nelson Mattos, IBM information integration director. The new XML technology will "bring integration to the next level," he says, by linking structured and unstructured data sources, metadata management, and search capabilities. The development work is designed to complement IBM's MQSeries application-integration software and CrossWorlds and MQSeries Workflow process-integration products, Mattos says.

As part of Xperanto, IBM is developing software based on the proposed XQuery standard, an XML version of the SQL programming language for assembling database queries. XQuery tools will let users query XML documents and other content stored in databases. IBM also is developing new text search, DB2 federation, and Web-services capabilities based on XQuery.

The major database vendors have been rushing to incorporate XML technology into their database products, allowing them to serve as platforms for Web services. In December, Oracle previewed a project called XDB that will facilitate the storage of XML content in the Oracle database. But the vendor hasn't disclosed when that product will be available. Microsoft's SQL Server 2000 offers some XML capabilities, although the upcoming Yukon version of the database--due out in 2003--will support XML as a native data type.