> In my limited experience, code built around relational databases is difficult to grok. The structure is inverted with respect to typical OOP. Rather than having a sane class hierarchy, where one can start at the top and navigate down to understand how objects are nested, the structure is inverted, piecing together class relationships requires looking at the tables and following foreign keys which effectively point to parent classes. It feels backwards.
Other than your first sentence (which is subjective), you are correct. The only question is whether you are going to mangle the database structure to fit your OO hierarchy or design your program in a non-OO way to fit the relational structure.
Since the database will live on long past the program, and will have multiple programs talking to it, it makes sense to design your program around the data, not design the database structure around your program.
I think it’s worth noting that “database-centric” and “app-centric” notions of databases are both found in the wild. That’s how I remembered the difference between MySQL and PostgreSQL—MySQL was what happened when a bunch of app developers needed a database, and it was extremely popular e.g. with the PHP webdev crowd. If you needed to access the database, you went through the app. PostgreSQL is what happened when DBAs designed a database. If you needed access to the database, you connected to the database. A lot of other databases can be understood this way… like how MongoDB further shifts database concepts into the application.
(Honestly I’m definitely in your camp… if I need a database, design the database first, then write the code.)
Other than your first sentence (which is subjective), you are correct. The only question is whether you are going to mangle the database structure to fit your OO hierarchy or design your program in a non-OO way to fit the relational structure.
Since the database will live on long past the program, and will have multiple programs talking to it, it makes sense to design your program around the data, not design the database structure around your program.
[EDIT: See https://blogs.tedneward.com/post/the-vietnam-of-computer-sci... for why OO is a terrible design for persistent data]