FINAL YEAR PROJECT

Investigating the use of XML in a DJ database system

BACKGROUND DJ and record house music Passionate about Web design Option to investigate the XML software

development technique Combined all in a research and

development project

INTENTIONS2 elements:1. Research Investigate the role XML plays in

handling semi-structured data and XML storage methods

Investigate XML databases (NXD’s and XML-Enabled)

2. Development Produce an artefact demonstrating

findings

RESEARCH ELEMENT XML is the language of the Web Data on the Web is semi-structured

therefore XML has the perfect structure (hierarchical/tree)

Image Ref: W3C http://www.w3schools.com/xml/xml_tree.asp

RESEARCH CONT... Investigated how XML handles semi-

structured data and subsequently XML document storage methods

1.XML-enabled (relational) databaseRequires:

Document shreddingConforming to the rigid specifications of a

relational table

2.NXD’s store XML document as it is

DEVELOPMENTAL ELEMENT Produced a Web application Developed with user at hand Elicited requirements of the proposed system 2 main requirements:

Capture user feedback related to sets performed and events

Capture user DJ related experiences and tips

Use a different XML database for each of the main requirements i.e. XML-Enabled for ‘feedback’ and NXD for ‘experience’ and compare query speeds

XML DOCUMENT MANIPULATION Used PHP DOM to manipulate the XML

document Data capture:

PHP DOM PHP DOM creates the XML document on

data capture:

Click ‘Update’ to insert the XML document into the specified DB

XML DOCUMENT INSERTION Problems encountered with NXD:

Configuring PHP to access and manipulate XML document took too much time

Detracting from essence of projectAltered project perspective

Used merely an XML-Enabled DB – MySQL – and investigated XML as a paradigm

XML STORAGE Stored the XML document as a BLOB file

in MySQL using simple INSERT statement:

INSERT INTO revolt_feedback VALUES(NULL,

LOAD_FILE('c:/wamp/www/revolt/final/revolt_final.xml'))

DATA RETURN PROBLEMS XML data not shredded, no indexes

used, BLOB returned:

Shredding document would have returned a more aesthetically pleasing XML document

SUMMARY Researched XML, its data handling

techniques and storage methods Produced a DJ database Web application

that captured user feedback and experiences/tips

Utilised PHP DOM to create an XML document and stored it in a MySQL database

Altered project perspective so that XML was merely investigated as a paradigm

Project was a technical success but lacked concrete data due to server/PHP configuration issues

THANKS FOR LISTENING. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS?