XML Retrieval

Citation

Calvert, P. (2011), "XML Retrieval", The Electronic Library, Vol. 29 No. 3, pp. 410-411. https://doi.org/10.1108/02640471111141151

There are an increasing number of information applications that require some knowledge on the part of their operators of eXtensible Markup Language (XML) in one or more of its ’flavours’. XML can be used to encode the structure of a document so that parts such as headings, paragraphs, and names can be retrieved, rather than the whole. XML is used widely in the digitisation of heritage documents, and can be applied in other sectors such as archive finding lists. It is also part of RSS, OpenURL and other applications used for the dissemination and retrieval of information.

This book starts with a chapter on basic XML concepts, including the use of DTDs and schema, followed by a chapter on structured document and text retrieval. Both are short and comprehensible to any reader with an understanding of markup languages in general, but rather than reading this book in the hope of finding an XML tutorial, the novice should look elsewhere, including the web, where there are many fuller sources to be found. The later chapters are the meat of the book but it is here that most XML tyros will find the content gets too difficult, and except for those who must develop retrieval systems using XML, probably not necessary.

The book goes on to describe different methods of indexing strategies (element‐based, leaf‐only, aggregation‐based, selective, distributed, and structure indexing). It then examines ranking strategies (element scoring, contextualisation, propagation, aggregation, merging, and processing structural constraints). It is, therefore, appropriate for those studying (or even teaching) information science and computer science, but not for the majority of those who want to apply XML to practical applications in information management.