Joe, you can get the data from SQL Server in XML and not have to mess with it at all.

At the end of your statement just end with
FOR XML (AUTO/EXPLICIT)

HTH

__Stephen


>I want to create an XML string from data. I need to be able to store the contents of the string in a database. Everything I have seen talks about xml files... I don't want the IO I just want the data. So in a nutshell, SQL statement or dataset to fully qualified XML string. And how would I read that XML string into as dataset to bind to a control later?
>
>

    Dim DS As DataSet
>    Dim MyConnection As New SqlConnection
>    Dim MyCommand As SqlDataAdapter
>    MyCommand = New SqlDataAdapter(strSQL, SqlCn)
>    DS = New DataSet("MyCartDS")
>    MyCommand.Fill(DS, "Cart")
>' At this point my DS is happy and busting at
>' the seams with data ..

>I dont know how to go forward without a filetype IO :(
>
>My thanks in advance,