Flexible data models (by alaric)
Most bits of software have, at heart, a data model for representing whatever it is they process. Be it an SQL database, a bunch of files on disk, a raw disk partition, something purely in memory, or just a file format that is processed sequentially, there is usually some kind of data structure being dealt with.
And when requirements change and the software evolves, that data model often becomes the Achilles' heel, as it turns out to be unable to represent new concepts, and changing it requires rewriting a lot of the application - since, as the "lowest layer", just about everything else depends upon it.
Therefore, I see a challenge in finding ways of designing data models and the software that uses it in the first place so that changing things requires the minimum of effort...
Wed 27th Feb 2008 12:38 pm 
Subscribe