Utilizing Dynamic Code-Generation for Maintainable, Reusable, Optimized Code

Whatever programming paradigm for data processing we choose; data has the tendency to live on the other side or to eventually end up there. The major paradigms for data processing are object, relational and XML; each paradigm offers many facets and many versions; each paradigm provides specific forms of data models (object models, relational schemas, XML schemas, etc.).

Each data-processing application depends on interrelated data models and artifacts that are derived from data models (such as data-access layers). Such conglomerations of data models are challenging due to paradigmatic impedance mismatches, performance requirements, loose-coupling requirements, and others.

This ubiquitous problem calls for a good understanding of techniques for mappings between data models, actual data, and operations on data. There are a lot of research challenges regarding mappings today. Orasis Software has contacted its own research and developed a system that allows manageability of the mapping concept that involves both the source and the destination of a mapping as well as the “mapping association code” that maps the entities. Our first release concentrates on two “Mapping Entities” that both act as sources and/or destinations:

(Dave Thomas: “The Impedance Imperative Tuples + Objects + Info sets = Too Much Stuff!”)

“Once upon a time it was possible for every new programmer to quickly learn how to write readable programs to Create, Read, Update and Delete business information. These so-called CRUD applications, along with reporting, were pervasive throughout business and essentially defined IT or MIS as it was called in those days.”

But in today’s times it seems that there is a great bit of diversity and multiple different approaches:

– The XML hype is over. XML types and XML documents are everywhere now.
– All these paradigms have triggered a myriad of query languages and 4GL tools.
– Much current CRUD development is done with OO languages with various APIs.
– Various ORM (Object relational mapping) technologies have been introduced.

Either there are respectable, perhaps fundamental reasons for all this diversity or it is just plain IT reality. Orasis Software is introducing an integrated development environment that uses dynamic code generation and makes the concept of a Mapping tangible, maintainable, reusable and optimizable for performance and accuracy.