This book teaches the basics of XML with an original approach, using real-world examples from an interesting (and operating) environment with broad applicability. Programmers and engineers owe it to themselves to understand the technologies that are taught in this book. It covers the full spectrum of Berkeley DB XML tools, including the command-line shell, transactions, rollbacks, replication, archiving and monitoring. Techniques and concepts that have broad applicability outside of the subject matter are skillfully explained: XML, XPath, XQuery, XML schemas, all industry-standard technologies that find one of their best tutorial treatments, and all in the context of a simple database solution. The book also presents a remarkable example of query power by translating natural-language requests ("Give me all people that are males") into modular XSLT queries. It concludes with real-world, instantly-useable application examples for managing collections of data.