Looking for an XML (database-based) Query Reporting Tool/advice

[Alex]

Subject: Looking for an XML (database-based) Query Reporting
Tool/advice

First off, let me apologize if this thread is somewhat off topic...

PLEASE REPLY TO: (e-mail address removed)

I am looking for a way to query XML documents stored in an Oracle 9i
database, contained in an unstructured CLOB column, much like one would
with a traditional BI query reporting tool, but using XPath or XQuery
query syntax..

Does anyone know of, or have any ideas/opinions on the following:
1. An XML Query Reporting Tool - are there any out there that you
know of or can recommend?*
2. Does anyone know of any XML middleware that can translate an XML
document to a traditional SQL query tool so that it thinks it's a
relational structured object, and translate the SQL syntax to native
XML query syntax?*
3. Is XQuery/XPath a plausible approach for ad-hoc queries against an
Oracle database with 30+ million records (assuming appropriate XML
Datatypes and indexes are used) or does this sound a bit absurd? I.e.
would you just use a relational/SQL approach?

*Technical considerations.
· XML documents are to be stored in an Oracle CLOB column
(unstructured is preferred as it is currently setup for full-text
searching), but can also be represented in structured object XML Type.
· Backend would be Oracle 9i or 10g with Oracle XML DB and support
for W3C XPath 1.0/ XPath 2.0/ XQuery 1.0.

Any thoughts, opinions and/or suggestions on the above are appreciated.

Thanks!

Alex

 

[gimme_this_gimme_that]

I recall that Oracle 9i provides much of what you want out of the box.
(That's why you would have upgraded from 8i.) Look on ebay for
one of those Oracle/XML books published by Osborne on the cheap
or try posting to comp.databases.oracle or googling "Oracle
XML XQL".

 

[Alex]

Sorry, but I don't think you quite got the gist of the post ... I am
looking for a 3rd party front end tool, much like that of a traditional
ad-hoc query tool like Crystal/Impromptu BUT with the ability to query
an unstructured non-relational source (XML document) using native XML
query languages ... we are not interested in developing our own.