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So, I figure it’s about time I actually talk a little bit about code. I know many of my readers aren’t programmers, so my apologies. For my capstone work I have been playing around a lot with data, and I want to share my experiences.

So, first things first. Lets talk about Dynamic Database Layers. We want to build a database layer that is as dynamic as possible and flexible, but provides understandable structure and expected results. We want something that is secure, but also usable. So lets break it down:

What are the goals?

1. Ease of use.
2. Low learning curve.
3. Clear and understandable “rules”
4. Secure
5. Solves routine problems naturally.
6. Allows non-routine problems to be solved easily.

Ease of use. The first and foremost goal we have for our DyDL is that its easily usable. Ideally, it should make accessing the data simple and trivial. If you need to write lines upon lines of code just to invoke simple calls, developers won’t use it. Make easy things easy. If a developer needs to do something more complicated, try to make it easy - but they’ll be willing to do more work to accomplish it.

Low learning curve. One of the most difficult tasks as a programmer is to adapt to new technology. Understanding the lingo, the structure, and the benefits is required to be efficient. Don’t make it difficult to use. Use common paradigms to make entry into use easy. This leads us into the next requirement..

Clear and understandable “rules”. Make how the software layer works straight forward and simple. Don’t build an application that has situations where if you want to do one thing, you have to do it differently than another thing. Make it clear to the developer what each function is actually doing. If all data objects require certain structure, make it clear. Giving meaningful messages and documentation for the layer.

Secure. This is straight forward. Make your best attempt to make the code secure. If you can prevent SQL injections, do so. Build as much structure to the framework such that you can limit the ways to exploit it. Don’t trust unknown data.

Solves routine problems naturally. Make simple stuff simple. If you need to do a simple access of data based on a few parameters, make it so that is one simple call. Try to abstract your calls so the developer doesn’t need to know the SQL that is being run underneath. Allow simple complexity by allowing the developer to do so, but don’t require them to.

Allows non-routine problems to be solved easily. Always allow the developer to decide if their way is better. Provide a simple interface such that a developer can still use your engine to do things that you haven’t accounted for. If you can, try to make it easier. If you can’t, don’t stand in their way.

For a portion of my capstone, I have implemented what I believe is an excellent start of a DyDL, codenamed MagicDB.  I will be writing about this project more in the coming weeks, and will be showing bits of code, and explaining decisions made. Hope I don’t bore anyone.

dave coding, data, technology