As mentioned in my previous post we are releasing a new database connector for M (MUMPS) written in Java.
We choose to work with a NoSQL database because of the flexibility it provides in data storage. When flexible structures are coupled with M’s powerful stored procedures it becomes realistic to handle complex data indexing and aggregation using the same storage engine you use to store simple tabular data. And with all your data in one place life is much easier for both the developer and the system admin.
I have over 9 years of experience with M, but only in 2011 have I developed with both Java and M at the same time. I found at least one Java connector for M, a library called M/Wire but my focus is a little different. I wanted to make efficient use of stored procedures (M routines) and in the end decided to write my own M connector.
As we release more and more of the DivConq framework you’ll begin to see how deeply integrated the connector is to the rest of framework’s data structures. Yet it is also well suited to the goals of NoSQL. Details of the connector’s API will come in following posts.
In Part 1 of this series we’ll be reviewing how to get started with M. There is more than one implementation of M but the one we’ll deal with is called GT.M.
