Microsoft's Active Server Pages (ASP) and the Extensible Markup Language (XML) are two of the hottest Web technologies but are usually documented individually since each is a complex topic in its own right. Professional ASP XML ties the two together in an important way, illustrating how to utilise them both to produce next generation Web applications.

This product of a number of Wrox authors is a work that shows how and where XML fits in with ASP development, and whets the reader's appetite for creative solutions to typical data handling problems. Since the focus of the book is a step beyond the XML specification itself, the basics of XML are covered up front in a quick and practical discussion. The authors do a great job of explaining the DTD versus schema controversy, as well as the Document Object Model. Then it's on to the fun stuff: a look at how to build XSL stylesheets dynamically from a database, bind XML data locally with data islands, and construct a component that encapsulates reusable XML file operations.

The best way to really grasp the power of XML, however, is to see it in action. Fortunately, the authors devote a large portion of the book to case studies that use XML is various ways: to drive an online survey system, generate programmer documentation for DLLs, represent a shopping cart and as the glue behind a workflow application. If you're developing for the Web, sooner or later you will find XML either useful or necessary. This book should be required reading for any serious ASP developer. --Stephen W. Plain, amazon.com

Topics covered:

• XML syntax
• DTDs and schemas
• XSL and CSS
• ASP/XML integration,
• ADO/XML integration
• Client-side XML data binding
• XML procedure libraries
• Schema repositories
• SOAP
• Data transferring
• Data presentation