Question

I worked on some web based appications most times using zend framework. I noticed that it takes a lot of your time to model a database for all the data from the php code. I other words you have to do everything about data twice.

Is there an alternative to designing the databases and structures of tables by hand?

I just want to create a database and let something else care about mapping the structure from the php programming logic to the database.

Answer 1

Ah, you’re looking for an Object Relational Mapper! These are common in many types of web applications today.

In regards to PHP, the best one I’ve came across is Doctrine:

Object relational mapper (ORM) for PHP that sits on top of a powerful database abstraction layer (DBAL). One of its key features is the option to write database queries in a proprietary object oriented SQL dialect called Doctrine Query Language (DQL), inspired by Hibernates HQL. This provides developers with a powerful alternative to SQL that maintains flexibility without requiring unnecessary code duplication.