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ORM (Object Relational Mapping)

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Kaveesha Vishmini Kottahachchi edited this page Apr 30, 2024 · 1 revision

ORM stands for Object-Relational Mapping. It's a programming technique used to convert data between incompatible systems in object-oriented programming languages and relational databases.

In essence, ORM allows developers to work with data in terms of objects and classes, rather than directly dealing with database tables and SQL queries. Here's how it typically works:

  1. ## Mapping: ORM frameworks provide mechanisms to define mappings between database tables and object classes. These mappings specify how each object property corresponds to a database column.

  2. ## Abstraction: With ORM, developers can interact with the database using high-level object-oriented constructs, such as objects, methods, and properties, rather than writing SQL queries directly.

  3. ## Automatic Query Generation: ORM frameworks often generate SQL queries automatically based on the operations performed on objects. For example, when retrieving objects from the database, the ORM framework generates the appropriate SELECT query based on the criteria specified by the developer.

  4. ## Data Manipulation: ORM frameworks provide methods to create, read, update, and delete (CRUD) database records using object-oriented syntax, abstracting away the details of the underlying SQL statements.

Popular ORM frameworks in various programming languages include:

  • Java: Hibernate, EclipseLink
  • Python: Django ORM, SQLAlchemy
  • C#: Entity Framework
  • Ruby: ActiveRecord (part of Ruby on Rails)
  • PHP: Doctrine

ORM simplifies database interaction, reduces the amount of boilerplate code, and makes the codebase more maintainable by encapsulating database access logic within the application's object model.

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