---
title: "Client-side and Server-side Formatting (SQLXML)"
description: Learn about the client-side and server-side XML formatting of documents generated by SQLXML 4.0 queries executed against a Microsoft SQL Server database.
author: MikeRayMSFT
ms.author: mikeray
ms.date: "03/16/2017"
ms.prod: sql
ms.prod_service: "database-engine, sql-database"
ms.technology: xml
ms.topic: "reference"
ms.custom: "seo-lt-2019"
helpviewer_keywords:
  - "formats [SQLXML]"
  - "formatting XML documents [SQLXML]"
  - "XML formatting [SQLXML]"
  - "SQLXML, formats"
ms.assetid: eb61e595-f44c-44b8-9d62-e4effce55685
monikerRange: "=azuresqldb-current||>=sql-server-2016||>=sql-server-linux-2017||=azuresqldb-mi-current"
---
# Client-side and Server-side Formatting (SQLXML 4.0)
[!INCLUDE [SQL Server Azure SQL Database Azure SQL Managed Instance](../../../includes/applies-to-version/sql-asdb-asdbmi.md)]

  SQLXML provides two ways to format an XML document:  
  
-   Server-side formatting  
  
-   Client-side formatting  
  
 This section includes information about formatting XML documents on either the client side or the server side from the rowsets that are generated by queries executed against a database in [!INCLUDE[msCoName](../../../includes/msconame-md.md)] [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)].  
  
## In This Section  
 [Architecture of Client-side and Server-side XML Formatting (SQLXML 4.0)](../../../relational-databases/sqlxml/formatting/architecture-of-client-side-and-server-side-xml-formatting-sqlxml-4-0.md)  
 Provides architectural diagrams and describes the basics of client- and server-side formatting architecture in SQLXML.  
  
 [Server-side XML Formatting (SQLXML 4.0)](../../../relational-databases/sqlxml/formatting/server-side-xml-formatting-sqlxml-4-0.md)  
 Describes server-side XML formatting.  
  
 [Client-side XML Formatting (SQLXML 4.0)](../../../relational-databases/sqlxml/formatting/client-side-xml-formatting-sqlxml-4-0.md)  
 Describes client-side XML formatting, including information about using FOR XML on the client.  
  
 [Client-side vs. Server-side XML Formatting (SQLXML 4.0)](../../../relational-databases/sqlxml/formatting/client-side-vs-server-side-xml-formatting-sqlxml-4-0.md)  
 Describes specific differences between client-side and server-side XML formatting.