DSXchange

We've recently installed XMLPACK 2.0, and we are building our first jobs. So far the product has seemed confusing and counterintuitive. We have not been able to even get the simplest XML extract stage running.

My question:
Does the DSX community consider XMLPACK to be a viable solution or should we be looking at alternative methods for dealing with XML input?

I have used XML pack and it works if you define all components correctly. There are tricky bits - for e.g. when you can have multiple child for the same parent etc.

Like you, you would like to think that if a vendor is going to build an interface layer on a technology, that they would make the effort to do the human factors for all levels of users and mask complexities.

The 2.0 pack works well, but as pointed out there are some "nuances". Human Factors in the interface is one of the biggest weaknesses in this product.

One suggestion is to import a "complete" sample of the XML file and let it build the Table Definition.

Keep plugging, you'll get it.

I've used XML Pack 2 and found it quite confusing at first. But after you work it out, it's quite an improvement on XML Pack 1. I've found that it's well worth while taking the time to learn the basics of XPath and XSLT then writing custom stylesheets. You'll be amazed at how much you can get done.

Refer to the Advanced Transformations in the XML Pack 2 documentation.

There is an alternative to XML Pack 2.0. If you upgrade to DataStage 7.x you can use a DataStage TX plugin for XML which is much better at handling complex transactions then any standard DataStage stages. Of course while the XML Pack 2.0 is free DataStage TX will come at a price.

Ascential built the XML Pack before they purchased TX, I wonder whether future releases will see the pack replaced by TX components.