Businesses around the world depend on the perfection of the presentation they offer. The better your presentation, the better chance your business has to get the deal. However, there is another part of creating great presentations – collecting precise information. With modern technology taking on our lives, it is essential to imbibe the right “formats” to get into the game. This is where most get confused. Here comes the war between two of the most powerful formats in the presentation and creating game – XML and PDF. As it occurs, one can easily convert XML to PDF. But, the question is, is it necessary?

Both the formats are pole apart, honestly. But, the combination of these two formats creates the perfectly harmonious amalgamation of data and design. To know more about the need for converting XML to PDF or vice-versa, we have to understand the mechanisms of both the formats.

XML as a data necessity

From ages, the XML format is considered as the best format for collecting, sharing and storing data. The fact that XML uses little space has a considerable impact on the choices. Today, most of the file formats we use sans PDF, use the XML format to get the data together. Be it the simple word document or the compact sheets having analysis reports, XML is ruling everywhere. XML or Extensible Markup Language is an open format that has extensions in every field related to data. It is both machine-readable and human-readable. This feature of the XML format is the reason behind its ever-growing popularity. The major idea behind designing the XML format was to create a format that is a standard across the internet. Its simplicity, usability, and generalizability made it the global standard in data storage and transfer.

PDF as a global standard

PDF or Portable Document Format, on the other hand, has risen to the global standard of layout and graphic. It is independent of the application, software, hardware, and even operating systems. The benefit that PDF has over other formats in the same league is the compatibility and fixed-layout. No matter what OS or hardware is in use, the document is sent and received in the intended layout. Developed in the early 1990s, PDF is now a standard for sharing documents with all the images and other graphic elements intact. The popularity of the format can also be credited to the rather small size of the documents, considering the elements used in it.

Need for conversion

Now that the concepts of XML and PDF are clear, let’s look at the question of the hour – “Is it necessary to convert XML to PDF?” Yes, for business. Consider a situation when you need to explain the data to a board to get the deal. Would they be interested in a language which is complicated and dull, even if readable? We have a higher degree of attention towards graphic elements like graphs, images, and even animations. Even though two people are explaining the same thoughts, we would pay attention to the one who is graphical in nature. Graphics are easy to understand and analyze. The same holds true for your business presentation as well. In case there is a board and you don’t want them bored, PDF becomes a necessity. But, since the data has to be collected and shared in an XML format, it becomes almost mandatory to convert XML to PDF.

In conclusion, it suffices to understand, both XML and PDF are essential for your business. One format will help collect the data, store them for time eternal, and share when required. The other one will make the same data interesting and engaging. It depends on what kind of a task you have at hand. When the time comes, one needs to convert XML to PDF for a successful deal.