Can I use WCF RIA Services to query or manipulate XML data file (not relational database) in silverlight application?
RIA assumes CRUD (create, read, update, delete) operations on the client side, but this can map to anything on the server-side (files, SQL, Xml, anything).
With RIA on the server-side you just create methods that match the required CRUD operation and the calls to those methods are automatic.
e.g. if you have a type called "Person", then your server-side methods might be called:
UpdatePerson( Person )
DeletePerson( Person )
IQuerable<Person> GetPersons()
CreatePerson( Person )
Or you can label the methods explicitly with RIA attributes if you do not follow the suggested naming conventions:
[Delete]
MakeHimSleepWithTheFishes( Person )