Oracle Compliance with SQL/XML:2008

The XML data type in the standard is XML. The Oracle equivalent data type is XMLType. A feature of the standard is considered to be fully supported if the only difference between Oracle and the standard is the spelling of the data type name.

Table C-3 describes Oracle's support for the features of SQL/XML:2008.

Table C-3 Oracle Support for Features of SQL/XML:2008

Feature ID, Feature Support

X010, XML type

Oracle fully supports this feature.

X011, Arrays of XML types

Oracle supports this feature using named array types (in the standard, array types are anonymous)

X012, Multisets of XML type

The Oracle equivalent of a multiset of XML type is a nested table with a single column of XML type.

X013, Distinct types of XML

A distinct type can be emulated using an object type with a single attribute.

X014, Attributes of XML type

In Oracle, attributes of object types may be of type XMLType, but the syntax for creating object types is nonstandard.

X016, Persistent XML values

Oracle fully supports this feature.

X020, XML Concatenation

Oracle fully supports this feature.

X025, XMLCast

Oracle provides equivalents for the following elements of this feature:

  • To cast from XML to a scalar type, use EXTRACTVALUE. If the XML value is typed, then the result is in the nearest analog to the XML type, otherwise the result type is VARCHAR(4000). Use CAST to convert to any other scalar type.

  • To cast from a scalar type to XML, pass the scalar value in to XMLQuery and insert it in a document constructor.

Since Oracle has only one XML type, there is no need to cast from XML to XML.

X031, XMLElement

Oracle fully supports this feature.

X032, XMLForest

Oracle fully supports this feature.

X034, XMLAgg

Oracle fully supports this feature.

X035, XMLAgg: ORDER BY option

Oracle fully supports this feature.

X036, XMLComment

Oracle fully supports this feature.

X036, XMLPi

Oracle fully supports this feature.

X038, XMLText

The Oracle XMLCData function may be used to create a text node.

X040, Basic table mapping

Oracle table mappings are available through a Java interface and through a package. Oracle table mappings have been generalized to map queries and not just tables. To map only a table: SELECT * FROM table_name. This provides support for the following elements of this feature:

  • X041, Basic table mapping: null absent

  • X042, Basic table mapping: null as nil

  • X043, Basic table mapping: table as forest

  • X044, Basic table mapping: table as element

  • X045, Basic table mapping: with target namespace

  • X046, Basic table mapping: data mapping

  • X047, Basic table mapping: metadata mapping

  • X049, Basic table mapping: hex encoding

Oracle does not support the following element of this feature:

  • X048, Basic table mapping: base64 encoding

X060, XMLParse: Character string input and CONTENT option

Oracle does not support the {PRESERVE | STRIP} WHITESPACE syntax. The behavior is always STRIP WHITESPACE.

X061, XMLParse: Character string input and DOCUMENT option

Oracle does not support the {PRESERVE | STRIP} WHITESPACE syntax. The behavior is always STRIP WHITESPACE.

X070, XMLSerialize: Character string serialization and CONTENT option

Oracle fully supports this feature.

X071, XMLSerialize: Character string serialization and DOCUMENT option

Oracle fully supports this feature.

X072, XMLSerialize: Character string serialization

Oracle fully supports this feature.

X076, XMLSerialize: VERSION option

Use XMLRoot to set the XML version prior to serialization.

X080, Namespaces in XML publishing

In the Oracle implementation of XMLElement, XMLAttributes are used to define namespaces (XMLNamespaces is not implemented). However, XMLAttributes is not supported for XMLForest.

X086, XML namespace declarations in XMLTable

Oracle fully supports this feature.

X090, XML document predicate

In Oracle, you can test whether an XML value is a document by using the ISFRAGMENT method.

X096, XMLExists

Use EXISTSNODE to evaluate an XPath, returning 1 if a node is found, 0 if not. XQuery expressions other than XPath expressions are not supported. Also, Oracle supports XPath 1.0 expressions (not XPath 2,0, which is a subset of XQuery).

X120, XML parameters in SQL routines

Oracle fully supports this feature.

X121, XML parameters in external routines

Oracle supports XML values passed to external routines using a non-standard interface.

X141, IS VALID predicate: data drive case

The XMLISVALID method is equivalent to the IS VALID predicate, and supports the data-driven case.

X142, IS VALID predicate: ACCORDING TO clause

The XMLISVALID method is equivalent to the IS VALID predicate, and includes the equivalent of the ACCORDING TO clause.

X143, IS VALID predicate: ELEMENT clause

The XMLISVALID method is equivalent to the IS VALID predicate, and includes the equivalent of the ELEMENT clause.

X144, IS VALID predicate: schema location

The XMLISVALID method is equivalent to the IS VALID predicate, and supports the specification of a schema location for a registered XML Schema.

X145, IS VALID predicate outside check constraints

The XMLISVALID method is equivalent to the IS VALID predicate, and may be used outside check constraints.

X151, IS VALID predicate with DOCUMENT option

The XMLISVALID method is equivalent to the IS VALID predicate, and performs validation equivalent to the DOCUMENT clause. (XMLISVALID does not support "content" validation.)

X156, IS VALID predicate: optional NAMESPACE with ELEMENT clause

The XMLISVALID method is equivalent to the IS VALID predicate, and may be used to validate against an element in any namespace.

X157, IS VALID predicate: NO NAMESPACE with ELEMENT clause

The XMLISVALID method is equivalent to the IS VALID predicate, and may be used to validate against an element in the "no name" namespace.

X160, Basic Information Schema for registered XML Schemas

The Oracle static data dictionary view ALL_XML_SCHEMAS provides a list of the registered XML schemas that are accessible to the current user. The ALL_XML_SCHEMAS.SCHEMA_URL column corresponds to the standard XML_SCHEMAS.XML_SCHEMA_LOCATION column. The target namespace of the registered XML Schemas can be learned by examining ALL_XML_SCHEMAS.SCHEMA. Oracle has no equivalents for the other columns of the standard's XML_SCHEMAS.

X161, Advanced Information Schema for registered XML Schemas

Oracle does not have static data dictionary views corresponding to XML_SCHEMA_NAMESPACES and XML_SCHEMA_ELEMENTS in the standard. However, all the information about registered XML Schemas may be learned by examining the actual XML Schema, which is found in the ALL_XML_SCHEMAS.SCHEMA column. This may also be examined to learn whether a registered XML Schema is nondeterministic, and which of its namespaces and elements are nondeterministic.

X191, XML(DOCUMENT (XMLSCHEMA)) type

Oracle does not support this syntax. However, a column of a table can be constrained by a registered XML Schema, in which case all values of the column will be of XML(DOCUMENT(XMLSCHEMA)) type.

X200, XMLQuery

Oracle fully supports the following elements of this feature:

  • X201, XMLQuery: RETURNING CONTENT

  • X203, XMLQuery: passing a context item

  • X204, XMLQuery: initializing an XQuery variable

Oracle does not support the following elements of this feature:

  • X202, XMLQuery: RETURNING SEQUENCE

  • { NULL | EMPTY } ON EMPTY syntax

  • Mandatory BY { REF | VALUE } in the PASSING clause (Oracle supports only value semantics)

X221, XML passing mechanism BY VALUE

Oracle supports only value semantics, but does not support the explicit BY VALUE clause.

X232, XML(CONTENT(ANY)) type

Oracle does not support this syntax as a type modifier, but the Oracle XMLType supports this data type for transient values. Persistent values are of type XML(DOCUMENT(ANY)), which is a subset of XML(CONTENT(ANY)).

X241, RETURNING CONTENT in XML publishing

Oracle does not support this syntax. In Oracle, the behavior of the publishing functions (XMLAgg, XMLComment, XMLConcat, XMLElement, XMLForest, and XMLPi) is always RETURNING CONTENT.

X251, Persistent XML values of XML(DOCUMENT(UNTYPED)) type

Oracle fully supports this feature.

X252, Persistent values of type XML(DOCUMENT(ANY))

Oracle fully supports this feature.

X256, Persistent values of XML(DOCUMENT(XMLSCHEMA)) type

Oracle fully supports this feature.

X260, XML type, ELEMENT clause

Oracle does not support this syntax. However, a column of a table may be constrained by a top-level element in a registered XML Schema.

X262, XML type, optional NAMESPACE with ELEMENT clause

Oracle does not support this syntax. However, a column of a table may be constrained by a top-level element in a namespace other than the target namespace of a registered XML Schema.

X263, XML type: NO NAMESPACE with ELEMENT clause

Oracle does not support this syntax. However, a column of a table may be constrained by a top-level element in the "no name" namespace of a registered XML Schema.

X264, XML type: schema location

Oracle does not support this syntax. However, a column of a table may be constrained by a registered XML Schema that is identified by a schema location.

X271, XMLValidate: data driven case

The SCHEMAVALIDATE method is equivalent to XMLValidate, and supports the data-driven case.

X272, XMLValidate: ACCORDING TO clause

The SCHEMAVALIDATE method is equivalent to XMLValidate, and may be used to specify a particular registered XML Schema.

X273, XMLValidate: ELEMENT clause

The SCHEMAVALIDATE method is equivalent to XMLValidate, and may be used to specify a particular element of a particular registered XML Schema.

X274, XMLValidate: schema location

The SCHEMAVALIDATE method is equivalent to XMLValidate, and may be used to specify a particular registered XML Schema by its schema location URL.

X281, XMLValidate with DOCUMENT option

The SCHEMAVALIDATE method is equivalent to XMLValidate. SCHEMAVALIDATE performs validation only of XML documents (not content).

X285, XMLValidate: optional NAMESPACE with ELEMENT clause

The SCHEMAVALIDATE method is equivalent to XMLValidate, and may be used to specify a particular element in a namespace other than the target namespace of a particular registered XML Schema.

X286, XMLValidate: NO NAMESPACE with ELEMENT clause

The SCHEMAVALIDATE method is equivalent to XMLValidate, and may be used to specify a particular element in the "no name" namespace of a particular registered XML Schema.

X300, XMLTable

Oracle does not support reverse axes in the column path expressions. Aside from that restriction, Oracle fully supports the following elements of this feature:

  • X086, XML namespace declarations in XMLTable

  • X302, XMLTable with ordinality column

  • X303, XMLTable: column default option

  • X304, XMLTable: passing a context item

  • X305, XMLTable: initializing an XQuery variable

Oracle does not support the following elements of this feature:

  • X301, XMLTable: derived column list option

  • Mandatory BY {REF | VALUE} in the PASSING clause. Oracle supports only BY VALUE semantics currently.