Summary

FOR XML queries give you a flexible way to extract data from SQL Server as XML. This technology enables you to generate complex business documents for exchange between applications and trading partners. Often, RAW or AUTO mode will be adequate for your needs, but for more complex XML formats, EXPLICIT mode makes it possible to extract data to your exact specification.

Of course, writing queries to extract XML is only part of the picture. You need to build software that can connect to the database server and consume the XML data produced. In the next chapter, we'll examine how the Microsoft ActiveX Data Objects 2.6 library can be used to build XML-aware client applications.