Hey guys,
I'm hoping this is the right place to post this as I know there is an XML forum. Not sure which one is more appropriate...Sorry if its in the wrong spot.
I have been trying to incorporate XML into more of our daily processes but in each case that I have examined, it seems that simple automation (for example, connecting a spreadsheet to a database etc) seems less complex than using XML when it comes to Office 2003 (from a user standpoint).
In what cases can you guys think of would XML actually be better/easier than automation? What situations can you guys think of would be better suited for XML?
An example: We have a database with product information. Every month we put out an excel spreadsheet with current & upcoming product. For some of our account managers, this format works just fine. But for others, the listing contains products that are not appropriate for their specific customers. I figured that this would be a great place to use XML and XSLT to accomodate all the account managers. They could even use the data to create flyers, presentations, and the like. But how would this be any different than having a database? What advantage would XML have here that automation would not?
Thanks!
prgmrgirl
I'm hoping this is the right place to post this as I know there is an XML forum. Not sure which one is more appropriate...Sorry if its in the wrong spot.
I have been trying to incorporate XML into more of our daily processes but in each case that I have examined, it seems that simple automation (for example, connecting a spreadsheet to a database etc) seems less complex than using XML when it comes to Office 2003 (from a user standpoint).
In what cases can you guys think of would XML actually be better/easier than automation? What situations can you guys think of would be better suited for XML?
An example: We have a database with product information. Every month we put out an excel spreadsheet with current & upcoming product. For some of our account managers, this format works just fine. But for others, the listing contains products that are not appropriate for their specific customers. I figured that this would be a great place to use XML and XSLT to accomodate all the account managers. They could even use the data to create flyers, presentations, and the like. But how would this be any different than having a database? What advantage would XML have here that automation would not?
Thanks!
prgmrgirl
