XML Schema Definition (XSD)

An XML-based language that is used to describe the structure and syntax of XML elements and attributes in other XML documents. An XSD file can be used to validate XML files against the structure and syntax defined in the XSD. For example, if you are using an XML API to import data into an application, the XSD describes how to structure the incoming XML file so that the API can process the data. The API can compare the incoming XML to the XSD to verify that the incoming file is valid.