W3C Updates and Aligns XML Query and XPath 3.0 versions

In addition to publishing Second Editions of the 1.0 versions of XML Query and XPath, the XSL and XML Query Working Groups updated Working Drafts for the next major version of the specifications, in particular: XQuery 3.0, XQueryX 3.0, and XPath 3.0. The number "3.0" was chosen so that all of the corresponding specifications would have the same number, simplifying the previous mixture of "1.1" and "2.1" version numbers. The new 3.0 drafts incorporate the changes that were made for the second editions, and also add significant new features. XPath is a language for selecting parts of XML documents; XQuery and XQueryX are query languages for selecting, joining and manipulating XML documents. All three languages operate on any data source that can be represented as instances of the XQuery and XPath abstract Data Model (XDM).

The Working Group also published the following supporting documents, each of which lists notable changes in an appendix: XQuery and XPath Data Model 3.0, XPath and XQuery Functions and Operators 3.0, XQuery 3.0 Use Cases, and XSLT and XQuery Serialization 3.0.