Method for streaming XPath processing with forward and backward axes

摘要

A system and method for processing documents, such as XML documents, wherein the method includes the steps of: receiving a query comprising search criteria; receiving at least a portion of a document; modifying the search criteria such that constraints specifying a backward relation may be reformulated into constraints specifying a forward relation; processing the document using the modified criteria; and locating one or more nodes that satisfy the search criteria; and, emitting the selected nodes as output.