The XML product catalog is a useful script which uses XML pattern queries to display the data instead of a database like SQL. In steps XML as a solution. XML is just another container for data, like a database or text file. Data is stored in user-defined tags called nodes. But the cool part of XML isn't just the actual XML file, it's the search pattern language that it supports. With the free component Microsoft.XMLDOM (installed when you install Internet Explorer 5 on your SERVER), you can quickly parse and display anything in your XML file just by learning a simple pattern language. The bonus is, it's almost as powerful as SQL and just as easy to learn.