Nested SELECT ... FOR XML PATH Return ESCAPED <>s

Hi,
I'm trying to build a complicated web service request using the (much better than FOR XML EXPLICIT) PATH mode, and it's great and all except that when I nest them I am getting &lt, &gt for the nested nodes. Here's a snippit:

BEGIN

SET NOCOUNT ON;

SELECT
'P' AS "Item/DataBlkInd",
'A' AS "Item/PhoneQual/EditTypeInd",
'CITYCODE' AS "Item/PhoneQual/AddPhoneQual/City",
...
(SELECT DISTINCT
'R' AS "DataBlkInd",
'A' AS "EmailQual/EditTypeInd",
'1' AS "EmailQual/LineNum",
'T' AS "EmailQual/Type",
bpe.EmailAddress AS "EmailQual/EmailData"
FROM dbo.BPEmail bpe WHERE bpe.BusPartyId = @.CustomerId
FOR XML PATH('Item')) AS "node()",
...
FOR XML PATH('ItemAry'), ROOT('PNRBFSecondaryBldChgMods')
END

Any idea why the nested FOR XML PATH would be escaped, and how to return it as XML instead of "&lt Item &gt &lt ..."?

Many thanks!
Andy

Hi Andy

FOR XML queries per default return the resulting XML as a string value for backwards-compatibility reasons (regardless of the mode). So you should say

FOR XML PATH('Item'), TYPE

if you need the result to be XML. Also, I think you then will not need the AS "node()". Just leave the column alias away.

Best regards
Michael