Re: Corporate Acceptance of Creating Views ?

In article <eQoD7.43362$C7.13166440_at_news02.optonline.net>, "jane" says...
>
>Is it true that in general corporate enviornment, the use of Views is
>discouraged ? even frowned up ?
>
>I was working with this "seasoned" developer on developing reports, I am new
>to the Oracle enviornment
>and she insisted that I should NOT use views if at all possible, preferablly
>not at all.
>
>"You should be able to get all the data you need with straight SQL...even if
>it have to go for pages !"
>"...you are creating yet another dependency...it's another object that has
>to be maintained !......"
>
>The thing was with tools like Crystal Reports, it does not handle manual SQL
>very well (requires
>a separate file to store the query)
>
>Is this true ? Was she full of bs ?
>
>thanks
>jane
>
>

I love views -- for the same reason packages are the only thing you should use in real code (never a standalong procedure).

Packages protect you from changes -- the SPECIFICATION won't change -- but the implementation might (eg: you find a bug in the algorithm and fix it -- the interface didn't change -- same inputs and outputs but the mechanics changed)

Views are the same way. Underlying data structure changes (eg: someone adds a column, denormalizes a table, splits a single table into two, whatever) don't affect your CODE -- just your view. Consider the view a "specificiation", fix the view -- you've fixed ALL pieces of code that use it.

There are some people who say -- you should NEVER query a table. You should always query a view. These people are never phased by a request to change a column name or the order of columns in a table definition as it is as trivial as dropping and recreating the view now.

I might not go that far (but when asked to change a column name -- i will rename the table, create a view and grant on the view, no one ever knows)..... but it shows there is a difference of opinion out there.

Views are a tool, a programming construct. Anyone who "outlaws" them is *wrong* and being very short sighted.

--
Thomas Kyte (tkyte@us.oracle.com)             http://asktom.oracle.com/ 
Expert one on one Oracle, programming techniques and solutions for Oracle.
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Opinions are mine and do not necessarily reflect those of Oracle Corp