First, XML can be stored in a way that doesn't require complex conversions. Unlike other software that translates the data coming and going, we can put an XML document in the Web Storage System, make it available through file system support, and then retrieve it as a raw XML stream. The other key is our built-in HTTP support. A lot of other storage systems have a separate Web server that isn't really an integrated part of the overall system. In Exchange 2000, that functionality is an integrated part of the Web Storage System.
Exchange contains native XML support that's hard to find in any other product.
The Exchange 2000 workflow engine is able to trigger a variety of processes based on changes that happen in the Web Storage System. The type of XML document that is received can trigger different types of workflow processes. Let's say that I receive a document in e-mail from a health care provider. In essence, the hospital is sending XML documents over an e-mail infrastructure to my application. When the document arrives, the first step of the workflow process is to verify that this document meets the approval criteria, because there are certain classes of things that could be automatically approved or rejected.