binary XML

A binary option for XML, which is a text-based format. There are several binary formats in various stages of development; however, Fast Infoset is a binary format from the ITU-T, and Efficient XML Interchange (EXI) is expected in 2008 from the W3C.

Decompress in Small Chunks
Text-based XML takes up considerable storage space and bandwidth compared to binary formats. Although any XML file can be compressed with a Zip or other compression algorithm, the entire file must be decompressed as a single unit before it can be used in any manner. Binary XML formats compress the XML text file into a binary structure of small blocks that can be decompressed sequentially at the receiving end. They are thus well suited for processing in handheld devices that would not have the memory or CPU speed to decompress a large file.

Because requests and responses are more compact, any system using XML transactions, such as Web services, can benefit from binary XML compared to text-based XML. In addition, large amounts of data can be sent more efficiently. For example, a TV program guide containing thousands of descriptions can be transmitted in binary XML more quickly to cable and satellite set-top boxes. See XML and binary file.