Re: Corporate Acceptance of Creating Views ?

[Quoted] 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
>
>

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

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

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

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

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

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

--
Thomas Kyte (tkyte_at_us.oracle.com)             http://asktom.oracle.com/ 
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