Date: 2004-08-10T04:07:46
Editor: TedHusted <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Wiki: Incubator Wiki
Page: IbatisProposal
URL: http://wiki.apache.org/incubator/IbatisProposal
Initial post of draft proposal for iBATIS.
New Page:
Proposal for iBATIS Data Mapper Project
10 August 2004, Clinton Begin ([EMAIL PROTECTED]), Ted Husted ([EMAIL
PROTECTED]).
(0) rationale
A Data Mapper is "A layer of Mappers that moves data between objects and a
database while keeping them independent of each other and the mapper itself"
[Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture]. Many Data Mapper frameworks
are object/relational mapping (ORM) tools that generate SQL statements and
support a subset of the possible object/relational mappings. Unlike ORM tools,
iBATIS supports any conceivable mapping between runtime objects and a
persistent store. Rather than generate SQL statements, iBATIS helps developers
and database administrators manage SQL as an external resource.
The SQL statements used by an application are defined through a set of XML
documents, as are the mappings. Literal and dynamic SQL statements are
supported. When stored procedures are preferred, iBATIS provides a consistent
interface for accessing either procedures or statements, as needed. Of course,
value-added services such as caching, lazy loading, and transactions are
supported by iBATIS and defined through the XML configuration.
iBATIS serves the needs of developers who need an advanced Data Mapping
layer, like Apache OJB or Hibernate, but find it difficult to express their
object/relational mappings with an ORM tool. The tradeoff is that iBATIS does
not generate SQL, but many developers find this consequence to be an advantage
rather than a drawback.
Teams worldwide have been using iBATIS is production for nearly two years.
The approach continues to gain popularity and has been implemented for the two
most popular enterprise software platforms (J2EE and .Net).
(0.1) criteria
Meritocracy:
The iBATIS project started as the work of a sole developer, Clinton Begin.
As the community and codebase grew, Clinton recruited other members of the
iBATIS community to work with him on the project, based on their prior
contributions and interest. This group became the team that is now making this
application. Current development is consensus-based. Discussions regarding
development take place on an open list, where the entire community can
participate. Although there are two implementations, there is only one iBATIS
team, and all developers have commit rights to both codebases.
Community:
iBATIS enjoys a vibrant community of users. Since August 2002, almost 3000
support messages have been posted to the user and development lists. The 1.3.1
release of the Java implementation (January 2004) has had over 4000 downloads.
In the first week of its release, the 2.0 release (June 2004) saw over 800
downloads.
The iBATIS 80 page developer guide was even translated to Chinese by one
kind contributor. Translations into other languages are being planned.
The iBATIS .NET community is younger, but already show signs of growth. One
user has already contributed an example application based on the iBATIS
```JPetStore```. Other users have demonstrated an interest in downloading and
improving the C# source code. The team is working on create a joint set of
documentation that the implementations can share, along with a common
specification that implementations can observe.
Core Developers:
The core iBATIS development team is created from the most committed users
from the community and industry experts. The core developers include the
original creator of iBATIS and an Apache Software Foundation member as well.
Alignment:
iBATIS aligns well with existing Apache projects including Jakarta Commons
and Struts. Many Struts users find a natural synergy between the frameworks
because of the similarities in their principles and values.
(0.2) warning signs
Orphaned products:
The existing iBATIS framework is growing rapidly and recently released
version 2.0. At the same time, nearly half of the iBATIS committers were
focused on developing iBATIS.Net to bring the benefits of this paradigm to C#
developers.
Inexperience with open source:
All of the iBATIS developers are familiar with open source. The iBATIS
```SourceForge``` project has been in existence for nearly two years. The
second major version of the original Java implementation has just been
released, along with the first major version of the .NET implementation.
iBATIS team members are active in other open source projects, including the
Jakarta Commons and Apache Struts communities.
Homogenous developers:
Two of the developers share a common employer, but are not working on the
project as salaried employees. The other developers are scattered around the
globe, in Canada, the US, and France. The developers communicate by email.
Reliance on salaried developers:
Developers work on a volunteer basis. The project does not rely on salaried
developers.
No ties to other Apache products:
Some people have described iBATIS as "Struts for the Persistence Layer".
Many of the dynamic SQL tags were influenced by the Struts JSP tag library.
iBATIS for Java makes use of a number of Jakarta Commons components. iBATIS for
.NET uses Apache Logging. There is a great deal of potential for integration
with other Apache projects.
A fascination with the Apache brand:
iBATIS shares a common license and culture with Apache products. We
especially share the goal to create a product that outlives its original
creators. We are not making this application to acquire the Apache brand, but
to strengthen our technological and cultural ties. iBATIS recently expanded
from a sole developer to a team of developers, and we want to continue and
solidify our expansion by joining the ASF.
(0.3) subproject or top-level project
The iBATIS scope is as broad as products like Ant, Struts, and Maven.
iBATIS is not just a Data Mapper framework, there is also a second Data Access
Object framework, as well as an implementation of the infamous Petstore
application. All implemented for both Java and .NET. Other subproject to create
and maintain GUI tools and a common specification are planned, and PHP
implementation may also follow.
The iBATIS team believes that all active committers should be PMC members.
As iBATIS continues to grow, we expect the development/management team to also
grow.
While the iBATIS products would fit under the broad scope of the
db.apache.org project, the iBATIS developers would not be comfortable
overseeing the db.apache.org products. We simply do not have enough experience
with the other products to provide PMC-grade oversight.
Accordingly, our preference would be to apply as an Apache top-level
project.
(1) scope of the subproject
Two main subprojects will be responsible for creating and maintaining the
C# and Java implementations of iBATIS Data Mapper and iBATIS Data Access
Objects. A third subproject, now in the planning stage, will provide a common
specification for the implementations.
(1.1) interaction with other packages
iBATIS has very few dependencies. With the exception of commons-logging,
all dependencies are optional and serve to enable features of the framework.
The following are optional Apache Software Foundation project dependencies:
* commons-collections
* commons-pool
* commons-dbcp
* log4j
* xalan
* xerces
The following are optional 3rd party dependencies, which do not need to be
present to compile or run our software:
* CGLIB - http://cglib.sourceforge.net/ (Apache Software License, Version
1.1)
* OSCache - http://www.opensymphony.com/oscache/ (```OpenSymphony```
License)
(2) identify the initial source from which the subproject is to be populated
* http://sourceforge.net/projects/ibatisdb
* http://sourceforge.net/projects/ibatisnet
* https://wush.net/websvn/ibatisnet1/listing.php (login as guest)
For ibatisdb (Java), all code is already licensed under the Apache
License 1.1 and will be migrated to the Apache License 2.0. iBatisNet (C#) is
already under Apache 2.0.
(2.1) identify the base name for the package
* org.apache.ibatis (Java)
* ```IBatisNet``` (C#)
(2.2) identify the coding conventions for this package
The Java code mostly follows a Sun's standard coding conventions, including the
following characteristics:
* No newlines before braces
* Indentation of two blank spaces (not tabs)
* No underscores ("_") on private members
* No "I" prefix on interfaces
The .Net implementation follows the coding standards provided by the Visual
Studio.NET IDE and JetBrain Resharper plugin.
(3) identify the ASF resources to be created
(3.1) mailing list(s)
* ibatis-ppmc (with moderated subscriptions)
* ibatis-svn
* ibatis-dev
* ibatis-user-java
* ibatis-user-cs
(3.2) subversion repositories
* incubator-ibatis
(3.3) jira
* ibatis-java
* ibatis-cs
(4) identify the initial set of committers
* Gilles Bayon
* Clinton Begin
* Ka-Wai Chan
* Brandon Goodin
* Ted Husted
* Larry Meadors
(5) identify Apache sponsoring individual
Ted Husted, Champion and Mentor for the project, (as defined in
http://incubator.apache.org/incubation/Roles_and_Responsibilities.html)
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