ASCII (flat) files, SGML, HTML

Not everyone is using XML. Some developers are waiting for their organization's technology boards to approve the use of XML as a corporate standard. Some feel insecure jumping into a new technology. Still others are in the wait-and-see zone or are just waiting for XML to grow.
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But regardless of the reasons for staying away from XML, business requirements have to be met, and applications have to be created to allow various systems to work together. And although XML can make this possible, you have a number of alternatives. They don't necessarily match XML's capabilities, but they offer other features that make them useful for transferring data across applications and organizations.

ASCII (flat) files
Used to transfer data between various applications, various groups in the same organizations, and even between organizations, flat files offer a proven way of sharing data. The technology is not especially flexible or sophisticated, and it lacks many advanced features offered by XML, such as self-verification. In addition, a fair amount of the burden associated with conversion and mapping of data falls on the sending and receiving applications. However, flat files offer a cheap and fast way to transfer data; they are an old but still viable technique for many developers.

SGML
Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) is an international standard that was originally designed to describe text-based information and to facilitate information interchange between organizations. SGML lets you create customized markup languages that allow separating content from formatting.

SGML enables the creation of "smart documents," dynamically formatted files that can be presented on paper, onscreen, via CD-ROM, or electronically over networks and the Web.

Like XML, SGML focuses on structure and, for the most part, disregards formatting issues. It can dramatically improve the way you manage information by facilitating better organization, flexible and cost-effective delivery methods, and content reuse.

HTML
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is a subset of SGML and a longtime Web standard. HTML is easy to learn, use, and understand, but it's not very flexible. HTML defines a simple, fixed type of document with a limited markup to present information (specify a title of a page, show an image, show text, etc.). It's widely supported by browsers and offers a number of advantages:

* HTML is very easy to learn.
* HTML browsers are freely available.
* HTML document browser interfaces are easy to create for existing products.
* HTML allows linking unrelated data.
* HTML is widely used.


There are also some disadvantages of HTML:

* HTML is a fairly weak presentation tool and lacks many advanced formatting capabilities.
* HTML doesn't allow creating custom tags and requires the use of other technologies like CSS to present the same information with different styles.
* The linking capability offered by HTML is very simple, allowing only one-to-one links and requiring an anchor.
* Presentation may be unstable because of the different HTML versions and the various ways in which some browsers display HTML data.


XML and HTML are different technologies used for different business needs, and one can't easily replace the other. However, it is possible to do some of the things with HTML that can be done with XML, such as facilitating a data transfer.