The up-to-the-minute XML briefing for every nontechnical professional and business decision-makerCompanies worldwide are discovering the extraordinary value of XML technology—and professionals of all types are suddenly discovering that they must understand XML to achieve their business goals. Now there's a complete, non-technical briefing on XML technology that cuts through the hype and focuses on what nonprogrammers need to know. The Essential Guide to XML Technologies explains what XML is, how it works, exactly what problems it can solve—and how you can use it for competitive advantage.How XML differs from HTML and other previous markup technologies Real-world case manufacturing, publishing, and many more XML applications in both e-business and "bricks-and-mortar" companies Using XML to simplify enterprise application integration Advanced XML trading exchanges, "digital dashboards," and more Building wireless, portable, and voice-based applications with XML Industry-specialized XML finance, e-business, media, security, and beyond The politics of XML-inside your organization, and throughout the industry Where XML is tomorrow's standards and applications Includes XML markup examples from many real-world applications-with structured "talkthroughs" explaining how they work Written for everyone from managers to marketers, this book doesn't just provide a snapshot of where XML is now. It helps you project XML's long-term impact on your company, take control of your XML initiatives, and leverage the full power of this remarkabletechnology.