Oracle, Publishing, and XSQL
July 14, 2009
I am a big fan of the MarkLogic technology. A reader told me that I should not be such a fan boy. That’s a fair point, but the reader has not worked on the same engagements I have. As a result, the reader has zero clue about how the MarkLogic technology can resolve some of the fundamental information management, access, and repurposing issues that some organizations face. I am all for making parental type suggestions. I give them to my dog. They don’t work because the dog does not share my context.
The same reader who wanted me to be less supportive of MarkLogic urged me to dig into Oracle’s capabilities in Oracle XSQL, which I know something about because XSQL has been around longer than MarkLogic has.
Now Oracle is a lot like IBM. The company is under pressure because its core business lights up the radar of its licensees’ chief financial officer every time an invoice arrives. Oracle is in the software, consulting, open source, and hardware business. Sure, Oracle may not want to make SPARC chips, but until those units of Sun Micro are dumped, Oracle is a hardware outfit. Like I said, “Like IBM.”
MarkLogic has been growing rapidly. The last time I talked with MarkLogic’s tech team, it was clear to me that the company was thriving. New hires, new clients, and new technologies—these added to the buzz about the company. Then MarkLogic nailed another round of financing to fuel its growth. Positive signs.
Oracle cannot sit on its hands and watch a company that is just up Highway 101 expand into a data management sector right under Oracle’s nose. Enter Oracle XSQL, which is Oracle’s answer to MarkLogic Server.
The first document I examined was “XSQL Pages Publishing Framework” from the Oracle 9i/XML Developer’s Kits Guide. I printed out my copy, but you can locate an online instance on the Oracle West download site. I am not sure if you will have to register. Parts of Oracle recognize me; other parts want me to set up a new account. Go figure. Also, Oracle has published a book about XSQL, and you can learn more about that from eBooksLab.com. You can also snag a Wiley book on the subject: Oracle XSQL: Combining SQL, Oracle Text, XSLT, and Java to Publish Dynamic Web Content (2003). A Google preview is available as well. (I find this possibly ironic because I think Wiley is a MarkLogic licensee but I might be wrong about that.)
Oracle has an Oracle BI Publisher Web log that provides information about the use of XSQL. The most recent post I located was a June 11, 2009, write up but the link pointed to “Crystal Fallout” dated May 22, 2009. Scroll to the bottom of this page because the results are listed in chronological order, with the most recent write up at the bottom of the stack. The first article, dated May 3, 2006, is interesting. “It’s Here: XML Publisher Enterprise Is Released” by Tim Dexter provides a run down of the features of this XSQL product. A download link is provided, but it points to a registration process. I terminated the process because I wasn’t that interested in having an Oracle rep call me.
I found “BI Publisher Enterprise 10.1.3.2. Comes Out of Hiding” interesting as well. The notion that an Oracle product cannot be found underscores another aspect of Oracle’s messaging. From surprising chronological order to hiding a key product, Oracle XSQL seems to be on the sidelines in my opinion.
An August 31, 2007 post “A Brief History of BIP” surprised me. The enterprise publishing project was not a main development effort. It evolved out of frustration with circa 2007 Oracle tools. Mr. Dexter wrote:
Three years later and the tool has come a long way … we still have a long way to go of course. But you’ll find it in EBS, PeopleSoft, JDE, BIEE as a standalone product, integrated with APEX and maybe even bundled with the database one day – its a fun ride, exhausting but fun.
This statement, if accurate, pegs one part of XSQL in 2004. (I apologize that the links point to the long list of postings, but Oracle’s system apparently cannot link to a single Web log post on a separate Web page. Annoying, I know. MarkLogic’s system provides such fine grain control with a mouse click, gentle reader.)
When we hit 2009, posts begin to taper off. A new release—10.1.3.3.3—was announced in May 2008. The interesting posts described the method of tapping into External Data Engines Part I, May 13, 2008) and Part 2, May 15, 2008).
The flow seems somewhat non intuitive to me, even after reading two detailed Web log posts.
An iPhone version of Publisher became available on July 17, 2008.
In August 2008, Version 10.1.3.4 was released. The principal features, as I understand them, were:
- Integration with Oracle Enterprise Performance Management Workspace
- Integration with Oracle “Smart Space”
- Support for multidimensional data sources, including Hyperion Essbase, SQL Server, and SAP Business Information Warehouse (!)
- Usability and operation enhancements which seem to eliminate the need to write scripts for routine functions
- Support for triggers
- Enhanced Web services support
- A Word template builder
- Support for BEA Web Logic, JBoss, and Mac OS X.
Another release came out in April 2009. This one was 10.1.3.4.1 and focused on enhancements. When I scanned the list of changes, most of these modifications looked like bug fixes to me. In April 2009, Tim Dexter explained a migration gotcha. I read this as a pretty big glitch in one Oracle service integrating with another Oracle service.
Stepping back I am left with the impression that XSQL and this product are not the mainstream interest of “big” Oracle. In fact, if I had to decide between using Oracle’s XSQL, I would not hesitate in selecting MarkLogic’s solution for these reasons:
- MarkLogic has one mission: facilitate content and information management. The company is not running an XQuery side show. The company runs an XQuery main event.
- The MarkLogic server generates pages that make it easy to produce crunchy content. The Oracle system produces big chunks of content that are difficult to access and print out. Manual copying and pasting is necessary to extract information from the referenced Web log.
- The search function in MarkLogic works. Search in Oracle is slow and returns unpredictable results. I encountered this problem when trying to figure out whether “search” means “Ultra Search” or “SES”.
So, I appreciate the feedback about my enthusiasm for MarkLogic. I think my judgment is sound. Go with an outfit that does something well, not something that is a sideline.
Stephen Arnold, July 14, 2009
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