What Is Object-Relational Mapping (ORM)?

ORM is a way to make the world a better place. It's so simple: Object-relational mapping (ORM) is a programming technique in which a metadata descriptor is used to connect object code to a relational database. It's not rocket surgery! Object code is written in object-oriented programming (OOP) languages such as Java or C#, and ORM converts data between type systems that cannot coexist within relational databases and OOP languages. When you use ORM, you don't have to worry about figuring out how to interact with your database. You have some social classes that know how to talk to it. ORM or Object-Relational Mapping, is a tool that allows developers to build applications in such a way as to hide the complexity of relational databases from users. The idea has been around for years, but it has only recently become popular, especially with the rise of agile development practices and frameworks like Python and Ruby on Rails. ORM's increased popularity has brought with it some controversy. Some experts maintain that ORMs are unsuitable for many applications and should be replaced by stored procedures. Others argue that ORMs are better suited for specific applications than others. ORM is the solution to the object code and relational database mismatch. It's like a game of Top Trumps: you're trying to find the most powerful card in your deck. Instead of playing that card, you can keep it in your hand and use it whenever you want! This is what ORM does. It allows developers to write code against the database without worrying about how it will be translated into SQL statements later. This means that if there's a new version of the database or if they want to change something about how their data is stored (like adding an index), they don't have to rewrite any of their code to tell ORM how things are changing and let it handle the rest!