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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — Award-winning software engineer and author Michael D. Thomas will teach exclusively for Bright Path Solutions, providing hands-on training in XML and other architectures, Bright Path Solutions founder Kay Ethier announced today.

ìWe are very pleased to offer our clients an instructor of Michaelís caliber,î Ethier said. ìHe has a long history with XML, and his career in computer programming and relational databases will add tremendous value to our courses.îThomas will teach a three-day workshop on mating XML with database technologies. The class includes lecture and hands-on exercises and covers both relational and native XML databases. Attendees will learn about different architectures of storing XML and how that affects system design. XSLT will be covered and used to teach XPath, a key search language for XML. The XML-SQL and XSQL architectures are covered as ways to leverage XML technologies in conjunction with relational data, and attendees will learn how to use XQuery and XQL to query multiple XML documents. An overview will be provided on using XML in conjunction with the various SQL databases, and how SQL is being extended for better XML integration. The class concludes with an examination of the popular programmatic APIs (JDOM, Xerces) with XML and Relational Databases.

Thomas, who lives in Raleigh, N.C., has recently published his second book, “Oracle XSQL.” Prior to that, he co-authored one of the earliest books on Java, “Java Programming for the Internet,” published by Ventana in 1996.

Thomas first used XML in 1997 when, as part of a web services client, he had to write his own XML parser. In part for this work, IBM awarded him the Outstanding Technology Achievement Award in 1998. He was one of the youngest people ever to win the award, which recognized his Internet integration work using Java, HTTP and XML. He learned Oracle while working for the company at the beginning of his career. More recently, he has focused on large J2EE applications and the integration of XML with relational database technologies.

ìI am excited about working with Bright Path Solutions, and looking forward to working with clients on XML,î Thomas said. ìMy goals are to share my enthusiasm and passion for XML and database technologies with those who attend, and to help them become much more proficient in these applications.î

Bright Path Solutions, based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., offers solutions for publishing, focusing on paper and web publishing packages and related services. The company began in 1996 as a part of Mallett Technology, Inc. (MTI), with additional training offices in Pittsburgh, Pa., the Philadelphia area, and Washington, D.C. Services are also provided at client sites and in rented facilities throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Bright Path Solutions also sponsors many conferences and other events, including providing support services to the user group Tri-XML. To learn more about the three-day course Thomas is teaching, or other custom courses and events at Bright Path Solutions, visit www.travelthepath.com or call 919-656-2653.