---
title: "Using XPath Queries in SQLXML 4.0"
description: Learn about using XPath queries in SQLXML 4.0 to query the XML views created by an annotated XSD schema.
ms.custom: ""
ms.date: "03/17/2017"
ms.prod: sql
ms.prod_service: "database-engine, sql-database"
ms.reviewer: ""
ms.technology: xml
ms.topic: "reference"
helpviewer_keywords: 
  - "XPath queries [SQLXML]"
  - "annotated XSD schemas, XPath queries"
  - "queries [SQLXML], XPath"
  - "XML views [SQLXML]"
ms.assetid: 7814d099-81ec-4fb8-894a-729cdbb5015a
author: MightyPen
ms.author: genemi
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---
# Using XPath Queries in SQLXML 4.0
[!INCLUDE [SQL Server Azure SQL Database](../../includes/applies-to-version/sql-asdb.md)]
  Microsoft [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] support for annotated XSD schemas allows you to create XML views of the relational data stored in the database. You can use a subset of the XPath language to query the XML views created by an annotated XSD schema.  
  
> [!NOTE]  
>  To understand XPath queries in SQLXML 4.0, you must be familiar with XML views and related concepts such as templates and mapping schema. For more information, see [Introduction to Annotated XSD Schemas (SQLXML 4.0)](../../relational-databases/sqlxml/annotated-xsd-schemas/introduction-to-annotated-xsd-schemas-sqlxml-4-0.md). For more information about XPath, see the XPath standard defined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) at http://www.w3.org/TR/xpath.  
  
## In This Section  
 [Introduction to Using XPath Queries (SQLXML 4.0)](../../relational-databases/sqlxml-annotated-xsd-schemas-xpath-queries/introduction-to-using-xpath-queries-sqlxml-4-0.md)  
 Provides introductory information about XPath queries in SQLXML 4.0, including supported and unsupported functionality from the W3C XPath specification.  
  
 [Specifying a Location Path (SQLXML 4.0)](../../relational-databases/sqlxml-annotated-xsd-schemas-xpath-queries/location-path/specifying-a-location-path-sqlxml-4-0.md)  
 Describes how to specify location paths in XPath queries.  
  
 [Sample XPath Queries (SQLXML 4.0)](../../relational-databases/sqlxml-annotated-xsd-schemas-xpath-queries/samples/sample-xpath-queries-sqlxml-4-0.md)  
 Provides sample XPath queries for SQLXML 4.0.  
  
 [XPath Data Types (SQLXML 4.0)](../../relational-databases/sqlxml-annotated-xsd-schemas-xpath-queries/xpath-data-types-sqlxml-4-0.md)  
 Describes XPath data types, which are significantly different from those of both [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] and XSD.  
  
## See Also  
 [Client-side XML Formatting (SQLXML 4.0)](../../relational-databases/sqlxml/formatting/client-side-xml-formatting-sqlxml-4-0.md)