Towards Automatic Integration of the Business-Data Layers in Enterprise-Systems

Enterprise information systems distinguish the Domain layer that handles the major business logic of an application, from the Data (Persistent) layer that handles storage concerns alone. The integration of these layers is not straightforward since usually the requirement is for partial persistency, i.e., persistency is required only for a subset of the Domain layer classes. Industry tools provide partial help by supporting convenient abstractions on top of concrete database systems. Nevertheless, the developer still has to design the concrete ties between the layers. In this paper we introduce a set of independent Data Access Patterns that provide the missing link towards full automation of the Domain-Data layers interaction. Specifically, we focus on patterns that handle mixed navigational structures between persistent and non-persistent classes. All patterns are based on a core Proxy-Data-Mapper pattern, that is shortly described and their application leaves the Domain layer intact. We also provide an algorithm for combined pattern application. An analysis of our algorithm has found it to be correct with respect to a specified set of Data Access Layer insertion. An implementation of our method is on the way.