As more developers use XML to store and define data in their applications, they need tools to process and manipulate it. XQuery is the official World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) specification for an XML query language. The final version of XQuery is expected at the end of 2002, and developers will crave information and useful implementation advice about this new XML tool. Xquery Kick Start will deliver both - covering the full specification and providing useful examples for developers to put into practice immediately. The book starts by explaining the roll of XQuery in the XML family of specifications, and its very direct relationship to XPath. The author then explain the specification in detail, describing the semantics and data model, before moving to examples of XQuery's use in manipulating XML databases and document storage systems. Later chapters discuss the .NET and Java implementations of XQuery and discuss development tools that facilitate XQuery development.