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Applies to: 
SQL Server
Azure SQL Database
Azure SQL Managed Instance
You can use the xml data type methods to query an XML instance stored in a variable or column of xml type. The topics in this section describe how to use the xml data type methods.
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| query() Method (xml Data Type) | Describes how to use the query() method to query over an XML instance. |
| value() Method (xml Data Type) | Describes how to use the value() method to retrieve a value of SQL type from an XML instance. |
| exist() Method (xml Data Type) | Describes how to use the exist() method to determine whether a query returns a nonempty result. |
| modify() Method (xml Data Type) | Describes how to use the modify() method to specify XML Data Modification Language (XML DML) statements to perform updates. |
| nodes() Method (xml Data Type) | Describes how to use the nodes() method to shred XML into multiple rows, which propagates parts of XML documents into rowsets. |
| Binding Relational Data Inside XML Data | Describes how to bind non-XML data inside XML. |
| Guidelines for Using xml Data Type Methods | Describes guidelines for using the xml data type methods. |
You call these methods by using the user-defined type method invocation syntax. For example:
SELECT XmlCol.query(' ... ')
FROM Table
Note
The xml data type methods query(), value(), and exist() return NULL if executed against a NULL XML instance. Also, modify() does not return anything, but nodes() returns rowsets and an empty rowset with a NULL input.
Compare Typed XML to Untyped XML
Create Instances of XML Data