Our team is using iBatis SQL Maps, and loving it. The approach is perfectly simple and it eliminates a lot of redundant code for us. Our application integrates with a lot of other systems, some of which are not databases, but other applications. However, from the perspective of our app they are a persistence store, just like a database. We primarily integrate through JDBC, Tibco Rendezvous and SOAP. It strikes me that the iBatis approach could be extended far beyond SQL. In the case of SOAP for example, you have a set of parameters that need to be mapped to a textual representation of the query/update request (parallels SQL) and submitted to a server for processing (parallels JDBC execute call). Then when the SOAP request returns, you can parse it and then you have a direct representation of the result (parallels a result set) which needs to be mapped to a set of value objects and returned. There are similar parallels with Tibco Rendezvous. You could also imagine an iBatis approach applied to LDAP persistence, various text file formats, and any other persistence mechanism or integration API you can think of.
I noticed that on the iBatis home page SQL Maps is referred to as "iBatis Data Mapper." Does this name mean that someone else besides me is thinking along these lines, and planning to make it more generic than JDBC? Is anyone else thinking about this? As iBatis exists today are there any convenient plug-in points that could support non-JDBC data stores? We are probably going to be implementing something for SOAP, Tibco Rendezvous and LDAP, and if it were able to fit into iBatis I think we could contribute the code. ...Matt Cleveland ...Web Architect ...Health Net Inc ...916.935.1248 [EMAIL PROTECTED] * There's no place like 127.0.0.1 --------------------------------------------------------------------- This message, together with any attachments, is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. It may contain information that is confidential and prohibited from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination or copying of this message or any attachment is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the original sender immediately by telephone or by return e-mail and delete this message, along with any attachments, from your computer. Thank you. ---------------------------------------------------------------------
