Chapter 5: Support for XML

Overview

The enhanced system-wide support for XML (Extensible Markup Language) in Microsoft Office 2003 is one of the biggest and most exciting changes this new release has to offer. In alignment with the collaboration and extended communication focus of Office 2003, XML enables you to use your data more flexibly and store it in such a way that it can be used across platforms, countries, and just about any data barrier you can imagine. Do you have gigabytes of data locked away in old legacy systems that are inaccessible by today's software? Are there reports, legal briefings, analyses, and other documents saved on desktop PCs all over your organization that might offer some valuable data if you could find a way to pull them all together into a usable form?

XML-and its widespread support throughout Office 2003-can change all that. In this chapter, you'll learn how XML can improve what you do with data today and find out how the various XML features in Office 2003 will help you give your data a wider reach, a longer life, and enhanced value in your organization.

Note 

This chapter focuses on the big picture of XML support in Office 2003 and details specific features in each of the core applications. Chapter 6, 'XML Applied: Smart Documents, Smart Tags, and Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003,' explores how XML is put into practice in these new, enhanced, programmable features of Office 2003.