XML Reference: Siebel eBusiness Application Integration Volume V > XML Representation of Integration Object Instances >

Elements and Attributes

An XML document consists of one or more elements. An element consists of a start tag and an end tag that enclose character data, nested elements, or both. For example, here is a simple element called Element1, with two tags containing character data:

<Element1>
This is character data.
</Element1>

The next example shows an element nested within another element. Parent-child relationships are frequently represented using nested elements.

<Element1>
  <NestedElement>
  data
  </NestedElement>
</Element1>

Elements can have attributes that refine or modify the element's default attributes. An attribute is a key and value pair of strings, contained within the start tag of an element. In the following example, status is an attribute that is assigned the value test. Attributes are frequently used to specify metadata about an element.

<Element1 status="test">
This is character data.
</Element1>

In the Siebel representation, objects and components are represented by XML elements. A set of integration object instances of a given type are nested within the object element for that type.

An element represents each component. Child components are nested within their parent's elements. Fields can be either elements nested within their containing component element or attributes of the component element. You can set the XML Style attribute of the integration component field definition to specify which style represents a given field.