[Vala] DataBase as a Gee Collection of Collections

[Serge Hulne <serge hulne gmail com>]

I assume that you are considering developing a database system in RAM
(since you mentioned Gee).

Also I am assuming that you are considering a relational model (with tables
and relationship between tables, etc..., possibly with SQL).

1. Here is an example of an implementation  in Java.
http://hsqldb.org/

2. Here is an  example of an implementation in Python.
http://gadfly.sourceforge.net/

3. Alternatively NoSQL databases (also worth considering):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NoSQL

4. Since Gee already has Maps, which are not unlike "tables in RAM" (whose
keys are accessed via a hash function) and since Vala has got generics (in
the shape of templates), it is very easy to create a non persistent
database in RAM as:

- a HashMap
- a MultiMap
- a "map" of "maps" (a map having maps as keys, again: generics make this
very easy) with the help of which complex relationships can be expressed
between "tables" in RAM, without the overhead and runtime penalty of SQL.

So the question of whether it is worth developing an additional  layer of
abstraction on top of Gee is actually a good question.
Food for thoughts !

Perhaps the most important question to consider would be:

- What would be the aim of this construct on top of Gee:

1. expressing relationships between tables (implementing a relational
model) ?
2. Building an in-RAM easy-to-use DBMS.
3. With of without SQL ?
4. Store Classes (objects)  : Like ORM models : Object-to-relational
databases.
5. is ease-of-use the foremost priority ?
6. is speed the top priority ?
7. Is minimal (optimal) use of RAM one of the priorities ?

More concretely : What use do you have in mind for it, in practice ?

Serge.