XML Import: Understanding Web Services

In addition to FileMaker’s capability to export data via XML, either with or without an XSL stylesheet, FileMaker also has the capability to work with remote XML data sources, often referred to under the umbrella term “Web services.” This is a capability that was added in FileMaker version 6 and is a significant addition to FileMaker’s XML strengths. Using this capability, you can bring data from a variety of remote data sources directly into FileMaker, as we’ll discuss in the sections that follow.

FileMaker’s XML Import Capability

The concept of XML exporting ought to seem fairly straightforward: Take some FileMaker data, pick an XML grammar for the export, and optionally apply an XSL stylesheet to transform the XML data as it heads out. But what about the concept of importing XML? What does this mean, and what is it good for?