Dilip shares experience using code generating tools:
Here, is what I have experienced by using some of the popular code generating software tools.
There are merits and de-merits in using self generating codes software. And still, I have always looked at them as key contributors.
The benefits we experienced
- It gives many logical clues which perhaps we might have missed.
- It almost ensures that there is no missing relationship such as a joins between two or more tables and that too on correct primary keys.
- It also gives best hints in terms of using correct / efficient index.
- The code many times is fairly optimized.
- It cuts down on typing efforts.
- It also provides good documentation and traceability across the database objects such as tables, keys, functions and stored procedures.
The not so benefits
- For the first time, i.e. in the beginning of any project, the code is very helpful and time saving.
- But, the code invariably needs to be refined to meet our coding standards.
- With the passage of time, the code starts becoming unwieldy and at times calls for scrapping and re-writing.
- The developers tend to over rely on such codes and ignore thorough checking of logic.
- The updated versions of such software tools, at times create a strange code (it may be due to some bugs, and we try to be cautious in such cases).
- There were times when the code generated was too long even for simple situations.
Finally, I feel that such tools may make programming a much lesser hassle but I don’t know whether they would replace programmers or logic.
Get into the conversation and share your experience as well. Leave comments online, or drop an email to btaylor@sswug.org.
Cheers,
Ben