This article on MSDN outlines what is new in the FOR XML syntax for Yukon.
Nesting FOR XML Expressions may allow us to use AUTO instead of EXPLICIT on many way we couldn't before. That will be a real timesaver for me, generating EXPLICIT is NOT FUN, even with tools like FOAM.
PATH Mode looks like it will handle alot of the other reasons we were forced to to use the EXPLICIT syntax.
The new XML Datatype is something I look forward to using. Specifically I am hoping that I can use it with triggers, I maintain an audit trail for any data changes and am handwriting an XML record to do this on a per table basis, the new Datatype may make this easier. Another option might be the new Assigning FOR XML Results syntax.
I use FOR XML almost exclusively for retrieving data from SQL now, this is going to be a terrific enhancement for me. Hopefully there will be some type of Explicit designer tool for those complex hierarchies that still can't be achieved with the new enhancements. As my applications move more toward SOA style architectures returning XML data directly from SQL Server takes alot of the drudge work out of creating retrieve code.
Copyright © 2003-2004 H. Steele Price, IV -
All opinions are my own, not necessarily those of my employer, your mother, or any government agency.