Ok, so while the Java language itself has lost some of it's luster for me, I still love the JVM. Here's a very common scenario:

1. query a database and create an xml file from the dataset using tag names that you provide and write it to a file.

Not saying it can't be done quickly or cleanly in Java, but think how long it would take/how lines of (almost boilerplate) code...

Groovy to the rescue...

import org.ho.yaml.Yaml
import groovy.sql.Sql
import groovy.xml.StreamingMarkupBuilder

def sql = Sql.newInstance("jdbc:jtds:sqlserver://fakedbserver:1433/mydbname", "myusername", "mypassword", "net.sourceforge.jtds.jdbc.Driver")

def xml = new StreamingMarkupBuilder().bind  {
 mkp.xmlDeclaration()
 
 events{
    mkp.yield "\n"
       sql.eachRow("SELECT e.id as eventId, scheduled_date, event_date, league, location, tv_station, neutral_location, preseason, tba, event_type, t.team as teamId, t.number as teamRotationNumber, p.number as propRotationNumber, prop.name as propValue FROM event e left join team_event t on t.event = e.id left join proposition_event p on p.event = e.id left join proposition prop on p.proposition = prop.id where e.id <> 0 order by e.id, t.number, p.number"){
       event( eventId:"${it.eventId}", 
         type:"${it.event_type}",
         scheduledDate:"${it.scheduled_date}",
         actualDate:"${it.event_date}",
         leagueId:"${it.league}",
         locationId:"${it.location}",
         tvStationId:"${it.tv_station}",
         neutralLocation:"${it.neutral_location}",
         preseason:"${it.preseason}",
         tba:"${it.tba}",
         rotationNumber:"${it.teamRotationNumber?:it.propRotationNumber}",
         teamId:"${it.teamId?:''}",
         propValue:"${it.propValue?:''}"
       )
     mkp.yield "\n"
     }
 }
 mkp.yield "\n"
}
new File("scheduledump.xml").write(xml.toString())
println xml

30ish lines of code and most of that is creating the element/values? (Oh, and I don't really know Groovy that well yet) Anyone want to attempt that in Java?