# Babelfish supports XML datatype methods
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Starting with version 5.4.0, Babelfish now supports stored procedures sp\_xml\_preparedocument and sp\_xml\_removedocument, rowset function OPENXML() and xml dataype method .VALUE(). With these functions and procedures querying on XML data becomes much easier.

## Understanding XML procedures and methods
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+ **sp\_xml\_preparedocument** – The procedure sp\_xml\_preparedocument parses an XML text given as input and returns a handle to this document. This handle is valid during the session or until it is removed by sp\_xml\_removedocument.
+ **sp\_xml\_removedocument** – The procedure sp\_xml\_removedocument invalidates the handle which was created by procedure sp\_xml\_preparedocument.
+ **OPENXML()** – OPENXML provides a rowset view over an XML document. Since OPENXML is a rowset provider and it returns a set of rows, we can use OPENXML in the FROM clause just as we can use any other table, view, or table-valued function.
+ **VALUE()** – XML Datatype method VALUE() is used to extract a value from an XML instance stored in an xml type column, parameter, or variable.

## Limitations in Babelfish XML procedures and methods
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+ Babelfish only supports XPATH 1.0 syntax for second argument (i.e. ROWPATTERN) of OPENXML().
+ The meta-properties and flag 8 are not currently not supported in OPENXML().
+ Babelfish only supports XPATH 1.0 syntax for first argument (i.e. XQuery) of VALUE() datatype method.