Welcome and thank you for reading XML and JSON Recipes for SQL Server. In the modern world of information technology, keeping data stored and manipulated reliably and efficiently is one of the first priorities. In the last decade, SQL Server has evolved into a sophisticated Enterprise RDBMS tool, and it is still growing by providing more functionalities to store and manipulate data reliably. eXtensible Markup Language (XML) is one of the technologies that SQL Server implements not only for data manipulation but also for many internal usages, such as Execution Plans, Extended Events, DDL trigger Eventdata() function, and behind construction for SQL Server Business Intelligence Tools (SSIS, SSRS, SSAS). In Part 1 of this book, I will cover and provide the recipes on how to work with the SQL Server XML data type; discuss and demonstrate real type scenarios to load, build, and shred the XML; and present how daily tasks can be simplified by implementing XML technologies. In this book, I will primarily be focusing on technology rather than theory.