Relational database heavyweights are pushing the XQuery standard for querying XML documents, with IBM and Microsoft Corp. expected to present a test suite for the standard to the W3C on Friday, and Oracle Corp. recently having posted a prototype of the standard on its site.

The test suite IBM and Microsoft will present is considered an important milestone in finalizing a standard for querying XML data. If adopted by the W3C, the test suite will be used to check whether an XQuery implementation performs as standards dictate, thus ensuring that a given technology is portable across multiple applications that conform to the standard.

Customers need that assurance as they increasingly begin to develop XML applications, said Nelson Mattos, IBM's director of information integration, in San Jose, Calif. "Customers want to have the protection on their investment," he said. "We hear this constantly from customers that think XML technology is very strategic, but as they're developing XML applications, they want to make sure they're portable across multiple databases and platforms."

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