Going forward, expect such native XML databases to become more common as the use of XML to represent all kinds of data spreads, says Ron Schmelzer, an analyst at Zapthink LLC, an XML consultancy in Waltham, Mass. XML databases are better than traditional ones at preserving XML hierarchies, says Schmelzer.

For example, a document can be stored as a document instead of being shoehorned into rows and columns, Schmelzer says.

Tamino was the first to market and remains on top. But a number of other vendors, including IxiaSoft Inc. and Neocore Inc., offer similar products.

In the future, expect to see vendors of traditional relational database management products, such as Oracle Corp., ship native XML databases as well, he says.

Read more at: Computer World