Advantages of the XML Format

In some ways, XML is just another data format. However, XML has several advantages over other formats when storing information.

• XML allows developers to create their own labeled structures for storing information.
• XML parsing is well-defined and widely implemented, making it possible to retrieve information from XML documents in a variety of environments.
• XML is built on a Unicode foundation, making it easier to create internationalized documents.
• Applications can rely on XML parsers to do some structural validation, as well as data type checking (when schemas are used).
• XML formats are text-based, making them more readable, easier to document, and sometimes easier to debug.
• Tools are available for XML processing on different platforms, making it simpler to use XML instead of binary formats to exchange complex information streams.
• XML documents can use much of the infrastructure already built for HTML, including the HTTP protocol and some browsers.

XML isn't appropriate for every situation, however. XML documents tend to be more verbose than the binary formats they replace. They take up more network bandwidth and storage space, or require more processor time for compression. XML parsing can be slower than parsing highly optimized binary formats and can require more memory. However, careful application design can avoid some of these problems.