Clear and comprehensive--the only book you'll need
I first read through this book about four years ago. I remember thinking how nice it was to just plug into a book, read through it effortlessly (and quickly), and come out the other end with a pretty complete understanding of the subject. Kind of the Holy Grail of technical writing :-)
This book is a clear and comprehensive introduction to W3C XML Schemas, and an excellent reference to boot.
Excellent treatment of Schemas
If you need a book to have good examples to coperfasten your understanding of the theory, then this book is brilliantly written. I am not an A student, and typically have to read books a number of times to get comfortable with the subject, but with this book, I am getting it first time. It's a book you can read cover to cover. Might be a bit verbose for the more clever among you.
Superb reference
While all of the information in this tome can be extracted from somewhere in the specification or online, I find it much easier and faster to have one definitive (as the title aptly puts it) reference. Ms. Walmsely provides informative details and examples, making sense out of the often pedantic Schema spec.
Suberb Guide to XML Schema
The XML Schema specification is becoming an increasingly important part of the IT industry. When implemented, it is a complex and feature rich technology that is frequently underestimated.
Walmsley's book truly is the *definitive* guide. I have yet to read a more comprehensive and useful book on the subject matter. It is an intelligently written tutorial that sheds clarity on even the most advanced aspects of the XML schema language.
While this is a thorough text, suitable for those new to XML schema, it is especially useful for those of us who need to create and maintain schema definitions in the real world. I have yet to find a part of the schema language the book does not address. The level completeness is comforting, because it can be difficult to incorporate a technology in the best possible way, without understanding and exploring all it has to offer.
Finally, it should be mentioned that this book does not just document the XML schema language. It also provides tips and insights into how to apply various features that draw upon the author's experience. This information alone is worth the cost of the book - applying Walmsley's best practices can spare you a great deal of trial and error.
Highly recommended!
Only for beginners.
This book take a long time to arrive at any substance on Schemas and is only good for total novices to world of XML Schemas. In-fact the real schema is seen only half way through the book. It definitely is a boring read.
(32 reviews)
