#+title: A Lispy Database

 #+options: toc:t h:1

 One of the key features missing in the =core= is a DBMS. The first,

 and often only choice for this need in companies of today is

 a SQL RDBMS.

 There are client-server systems like PostgreSQL and MySQL, and

 embedded offerings like SQLite. Whatever lang you use you can count on

 there being SQL support[fn:1]. To support all the different SQL

 flavors though, a new abstraction has been summoned - the ORM.

 The ORM maps the object system of your lang to SQL tables, columns and

 rows and provides an API for you to manipulate the database in a more

 idiomatic way.

 You might ask yourself, why choose anything else? For good reason. We

 all know friendly neighborhood SQL and understand it. Many of us have

 never used anything else because we don't /need/ to. You can represent

 fairly complex relationships in the RDBMS model and have an

 ecosystem that supports it wherever you go.

 My answer is that just because SQL is good enough, doesn't mean it's

 always the best choice.

 [fn:1]