"Compare that with the XML solution: once you agree on a particular schema (including a DTD), all the grunt work is already coded in most XML frameworks, you only worry about processing the data."

If you agree on a data model, that's 95% of the effort . Sam, may I ask, what are you using XML languages for? How complicated are your data models? There's no question that with enough effort, you can get XML to work; it's just, can you get it to work well?

BTW, how in the world do you do dynamic data models in XML? Inquiring minds wanna know!