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This wiki is very new, but I will try to flesh it out some in the coming months. For now, here are some starting points:

• Derived Attributes — describes one of the key ideas of Schemaform's design
• Sample Operation — presents an example of some of the current DSL
• Schema Deformations — background on the original plan for this version of Schemaform

About Schemaform

Schemaform is a high-level database programming DSL for Ruby, intended to greatly reduce the work needed to produce a performant back-end from a complex, normalized design. In simple terms, it provides the power of spreadsheets in a relational context. With Schemaform, you can:

• capture even your most complex structures, relationships, and processing quickly and concisely
• leave all the denormalization and performance-related tuning to the system
• never compose another line of SQL
• focus instead on making your software great.

Schemaform does for you the very work you would normally have to do by hand and intuition when taking a database-driven system from design to implementation.

History

I started developing the Schemaform language in 2004. I wanted a high-level database programming language that could do all the grunt work I normally do when turning a high-level design into something that actually works. I did get the language working, at the time, but the generated code did not perform to my expectations, and I eventually shelved the project. Over the last few years, I've been mulling over how to solve the problems, and am now taking a much more pragmatic approach.

If you have questions or comments, send me a message here, or drop me an email at courage-my-friend.org.