Modern applications are built using two very different technologies: object-oriented programming for business logic; and relational databases for data storage. ORM (object-relational mapping) is a bridge between the two that allows applications to access relational data in an object-oriented way. Craig Russel of Sun Microsystems writes for ACM Queue that ORM technologies can simplify data access, but one has to be aware of the challenges that come with introducing this new layer of abstraction.


