Just to give you all some background on Larry. He is one of the committers on the iBatis Java team. So, he knows the generic reasons why we would use a iBatis vs. <insert product here>. I'm not saying this to puff Larry up. I'm simply saying it so you save yourself some keystrokes and know what level you can communicate with him on.
However, I think your insight of the .NET Collection framework is intriguing. I really look forward to working with you guys to learn what your battle hardended .NET development has taught you. I also look forward to learning why you have chosen to move against the grain of the DataSet,DataTable and DataRow infatuation. RE: IBatis being ORM... IBatis is not ORM. IBatis is data-centric. It is not object centric. However, this does not mean that we do not consider objects of great importance. It's just that we give deference to each semantic in it's proper arena. For example, we do not merely map Objects to Tables. We map objects into SQL and SQL query results into objects. This may seem like semantics. But, we do not maintain OID (Object ID). What this implies is that we do not attempt to create complex dirty checking scenarios or cache layers that must implore complex asynchronous update schemes to prevent stale data from living on. Much of what DataSets and their ORM counterparts attempt to solve we solve by simply going to the source of "data"... the database. For those items that are fairly static... just cache it. Minor Rant: As a side note. After having toyed with DataSets... I am hard pressed to see their value in the long run. It's like the EJB of the .NET world. It's not neccesarily as complex... but it is certainly full of just as much hot air. You guys rock! Brandon On 5/18/05, Kevin Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Larry Meadors wrote: > > > We have a consultant on site, and he is asking if we can get a DataSet > > out of iBATIS... > > I've been lurking for quite a while without having time to really *try* > iBatis.NET, but I use other Object-Relational Mapping tools daily. If I > understand correctly, iBatis is an ORM solution. The idea is to work > with simple objects designed for the business domain. For example, > Customer, Order, and OrderItem. > > Both DataSets and mapped objects can be used similarly, but I find > myself doing more casting and such when I use DataSets. I can type a > Customer's name as a string and their zip code as an int, but if I use a > DataSet I might have to cast them to the right type. > > ORM solutions also help me unit test more of my code base. I find it > easier that way, at least. It's not as easy with straight ADO.NET. > > Ask yourself, and the consultant, what are the trade-offs between the two. > > Hope that helps! > > Cheers, > > Kevin > > ---------- > Scanned for viruses by ClamAV >
