Very Computer

PK [guid]
parent [guid]
...data...

it would seem as though I'm almost there (to the "universal table") simply
by the design of the table.  However, SQL Svr books online seems to suggest
that each nested element should have a different tag number, and the way I
understand it, the tag number ties directly to an element.  Therefore, how
do I go about building the query for a proper universal table format???

I'm to the point now, to where I can return a more flat XML representation
and simply transform it via XSLT upon receipt.  I would like to take more
advantage of SQL Svrs XML functionality, however, if I can.

Thanks,

_howard

IMO, I think you should stick with the current implementation. Essentially,
to do what's required with FOR XML EXPLICIT, you'd need to flatten the
hierarchy in the self-referencing table in T-SQL (note in the BOL example
that you have to have every element/attribute in the resulting XML as a
column in the T-SQL query). You can eventually do that with T-SQL, but only
to a certain (hard-coded) level.

Quote:> I have an existing db table for which I would like to generate an XML
> representation.  The table is already hierarchcal in nature ...

> PK [guid]
> parent [guid]
> ...data...

> it would seem as though I'm almost there (to the "universal table") simply
> by the design of the table.  However, SQL Svr books online seems to
suggest
> that each nested element should have a different tag number, and the way I
> understand it, the tag number ties directly to an element.  Therefore, how
> do I go about building the query for a proper universal table format???

> I'm to the point now, to where I can return a more flat XML representation
> and simply transform it via XSLT upon receipt.  I would like to take more
> advantage of SQL Svrs XML functionality, however, if I can.

> Thanks,

> _howard

The "elephant ear" hierarchy can be handled in the latest release of SQLXML
3.0 tools,  using the sql:max-depth attribute to an annotated schema.  
Please consult the "Specifying Depth in Recursive Relationships by Using
sql:max-depth" in its documentation for more details.  

Howard, thank you for your post and I hope you found the information
helpful.

Drew Minkin, MCDBA, MCSD, MCSE
SQL Support Professional, Microsoft Corporation

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