Thanks for the answers.
In the end I will have to use the FS API for the DB operations, just because there are operations which have to be taken care of, like versioning and revision information.
I would also like to do a suggestion for the FS development team (that might be considered for later versions). This suggestion started from the following aspect:
- just imagine that the application I need to develop with FS has around 100 tables... and about 50 tables needs to support dynamic operations which could not be covered by the FS Integration module. From this point of view I will have to implement all DAO related code operations for the 50 tables...
which is :
- time consuming,
- usually, when you have to deal with code like:
myEntity.setValue("lastname", lastname);
there is enough place for bugs (misspelling attribute names);
- whenever an attribute changes in the DB schema, or new show up or they are removed the code has to be changed again;
- tests required
- the FS Integration module is designed for Java scriplets usage...which I would strongly like to avoid (no scriplets in JSP).
Because of these aspects and based on the fact that you already developed a nice DB design tool which produces an XSD file I would suggest the following:
- make FS available to plugin with ORM frameworks
- by using the XSD file there could be designed a cartridge that could be later used with an external tool (like AndroMDA) for generating basic DAO functionality, like value objects (PeopleData Java class with getters/setters), DAO classes, a.s.o. that could be extended by customized classes in order to provide extra functionality.
Marius