Disclosed is a method and mechanism for accessing XML data. In one approach, in the case of a schema based document, the structure of the XML document is known apriori and this information can be exploited to store and retrieve the data more efficiently. A Named Access interface or procedure can be defined and associated with elements of the schema. The need for datatype conversions can be eliminated by allowing direct mapping to the intended datatype or the closest matching datatype in the system to which the invention is directed. The storage information can be exploited to provide “direct” access to data based on offset in lieu of a linear traversal. Another aspect is that only the relevant portions need to be even loaded into memory.