There has always been a misconception between the relationship of RDF and XML. The main difference: XML is a syntax while RDF is a data model.

RDF has several syntaxes (Turtle, N3, etc) and XML is one of those (known as RDF/XML). Actually, RDF/XML is the only W3C standard syntax for RDF (Currently, there is Last Call on Turtle, a new W3C standard syntax for RDF). Therefore, comparing XML and RDF is like comparing apples with oranges. What can be compared is their data models. The RDF data model is a graph while the XML data model is a tree.

Comparing RDF with XML

Joshua Tauberer has an excellent comparison between RDF and XML, which I recommend. Two advantages of RDF are highlighted: flexibility of the data model and use of URIs as global unique identifiers.

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Coming in June from start-up Meronymy is a new RDF enterprise database management system, the Meronymy SPARQL Database Server. The company, founded by Inge Henriksen, began life because of the need he saw for a high-performance and more scalable RDF database server.

The idea to focus on a database server exclusively oriented to Linked Data and the Semantic Web came as a result of Henriksen’s work over the last decade as an IT consultant implementing many semantic solutions for customers in sectors such as government and education. “One issue that always came up was performance,” he explains, especially when performing more advanced SPARQL queries against triple stores using filters, for example.

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Learn the conceptual framework and principles required to apply
semantic technologies to various domains

Semsphere is offering a three-module, distance-learning course called, “Intro to Semantic Technologies, Linked Data, and Ontologies,” and SemanticWeb.com is pleased to announce that our readers get a 10% discount on course fees.  The course will take place over four weeks and is designed for researchers, evangelists, and hobbyists who want to use semantic technologies.

It features live, weekly webcasts, guided tutorials, course materials, interaction with the instructor, and access to recorded instructional sessions. The modules cover three core topics: semantic technologies, linked data, and ontologies.

WHEN: 4 weeks (October 17 - November 7)
WHERE: Online
LEVEL: Introductory
WHO: Researchers, evangelists, and hobbyists who want to use semantic technologies
PRICE: $1,278
(SemanticWeb readers receive a 10% discount off the regular price of $1,420.)

SYLLABUS

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[Editor's Note: With the San Francisco-based Semantic Technology Conference just two weeks away, we are going to feature a few of the the new and important products to be discussed at the conference. We will focus on a few of the products and tools that will be featured at the event. The full conference program is available here.]

At SemTech, representatives from Oracle will demonstrate the semantic aspects of Oracle database in two sessions:

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The staffing firm Brooksource is looking for a Semantic Developer in Indianapolis, IN. Qualifications for this position include experience with TopBraid; excellent experience in object-oriented programming in SPARQL, XML, XML Schema, RDF, RDF Schema, and/or OWL. The position also calls for experience with Rule Interchange Format (RIF). This is a contract position.

Image: Courtesy Brooksource