Java – Why use XML in Android

To me, the question is the other way round. At what point does an XML Document become so cumbersome, that you have to start using SAX instead of DOM?

I would only use SAX for a very large, indeterminately-sized stream of data; or if the behaviour the XML is intended to invoke is really event-driven, and therefore SAX-like.

The example you give looks very DOM-like to me.

1. Load the XML
2. Extract the title node(s) and "do something with them".

EDIT: I'd also use SAX for streams that may be malformed, but where I want make a best-guess at getting the data out.

You might want to come up with more generic types of errors, rather than element-specific errors (unless you have specific elements that actually need that kind of testing). Some of the ones that I would recommend, just off the top of my head:

• Elements in the incorrect order.
• Missing mandatory elements.
• Invalid lengths of strings on elements that have a length limit.
• Invalid element value for an enum-type.
• Add children when the parent has xsi:nil="true".
• Have no children when child elements are required.

These are the types of validation errors I encounter most frequently on my current project. They can happen to almost any element, so it doesn't matter if the schema has dozens of elements or thousands.