Real Life Object Databases

I enjoyed Martin Davis's love letter to the relational model, but would like to remind readers that object databases aren't entirely academic. The Zope Object Database (ZODB) is employed in Zope and Plone, and supports sites including the Nature Conservancy, the FGDC, the CIA, KCRW, the Brazilian Government, and many other regional or communal government sites. I appreciate relational databases (PostgreSQL in particular) and love SQL, but also appreciate being able to model data and manipulate it purely in Python.

Comments

Perspective from a Zope Refugee

Author: Justin Bronn

I appreciate relational databases (PostgreSQL in particular) and love SQL, but also appreciate being able to model data and manipulate it purely in Python.
How is using a strange XML dialect to define your data (ZCML) modeling in "pure python"? I'll stick with my relational database before I let Zope devour every last megabyte of my RAM again.

Re: Real Life Object Databases

Author: Sean

ZCML is for configuring Zope components and has nothing to do with ZODB.

Re: Real Life Object Databases

Author: Justin Bronn

Point taken -- but how many of the sites you listed use ZODB independently, i.e., without Zope? For use in web applications, as you implied, the two are nearly inseparable.