Tim Anderson's ITWriting

July 21, 2005

XML in SQL Server 2005

I've posted an interview with Dr Michael Rys, one of two program managers at Microsoft responsible for XML features in SQL Server 2005.

One of the things I got from this interview was to appreciate that the new XML datatype is not just a convenience, but a fundamental change in the capabilities of the product. It introduces proper support for "non first normal form" to SQL Server, or put another way, the ability to mix relational and non-relational data. As Rys explains, this means we need to learn new ways of modelling the database.

Another thing that strikes me is just how huge a new release this is, in terms of the number and depth of the added features. Perhaps not surprising some 5 years on from the last full release; but this is a very different product from SQL Server 2000.