[Boost-users] [serialization] counting the xml cost

Subject: [Boost-users] [serialization] counting the xml cost
From: Michael Powell (mwpowellhtx_at_[hidden])
Date: 2013-04-20 12:03:30

Hello,

Basically, I'd like to find out how well the boost serialization
facilities handle Xml and to what degree, robustness, etc.

I am counting the cost of serialization for our model. We'll need do
some basic CRUD type operations on our model objects throughout our
system, and I want to use a nicely loosely coupled solution. Xml is
the thought at first; I've also considered a lightweight database like
SQLite which transfers easily for patches, upgrades, and other
transfers.

Looking at the boost serialization facilities, one keyword was
emphasized in the tech-agnostic serialization documentation. Tech
meaning whether this is a binary file, text, JSON, Xml, whatever. The
keyword being that serialization and load occur in the same order.

Enter the desire for Xml. One common problem in .NET C# land, at any
rate, is that reads are commonly known as being asymmetric from
writes. That is, not guaranteed to happen in the same order,
composition, whatever. That is, you may see attributes in one
instance, where as in another the element might have been broken out.

Such as: <myObject name="something" /> and
<myObject><name>something</name></myObject> are technically the same.
The serializer might scoff at that, but I'm not sure the W3C suggest
otherwise. That's my loose understanding of the specification.

Regards,

Michael Powell