> > 1. Persistent XML: the XML document is persistent.  
> Applications operate
> > directly on the XML document.
> >
> > 2. Transient XML: upon arrival at its destination the data may be
> > transformed into some other format (language objects, 
> relational database,
> > etc) that applications work with.
> >
> > 3. Application XML: the XML document is the application.
> > Question:
> 
> Umm, isn't that only two dimensions?  Aren't persistent and transient
> just points on a single temporal axis? (Which brings me back to my
> question of when does a document change from being persistent to
> transient or vice versa?)  I think at best you can have a single axis
> that measure the length of time for which the document exists.  Still
> not sure that this helps any, but lets continue...

I don't think it's the lifespan of the document that matters, it's the
number of people/applications who will read it and the predictability of the
way they will use it. Transient = 1 predictable recipient, Persistent = many
unpredictable recipients.

Michael Kay
http://www.saxonica.com/