What are the advantages/disadvantages of database abstraction layers?
Discover the advantages and disadvantages of using database abstraction layers, as opposed to database-specific coding, and learn why abstraction layers offer maximum flexibility.
Can you outline the advantages/disadvantages of using database abstraction layers, as opposed to database-specific coding?
Because databases often have to be all things to all people. By allowing the hardcoding of rules and metadata into the database, companies are giving programmers control over not just what's in the database, but how business terms, definitions, rules, and other information are defined on behalf of the applications that access the database.
A database abstraction layer allows for maximum flexibility and guarantees that when additional business applications need to access the database, there isn't a lot of rework involved in trying to support them. And believe me, additional applications will want to access the database. It's only a matter of time.
