5 Clarity of intent through elegant data modeling
This chapter covers
- The risks of mutable data
- The hidden cost of encapsulation
- The benefits of records
- Pattern matching and effective use cases for records
- Understanding the data-oriented approach
The first dimensions of beautiful code—simplicity, narrative code, and expressiveness—shape code into something elegant and intuitive, closely mirroring human reasoning. Such code feels effortless to read, natural to write, and satisfying to maintain, qualities we instinctively associate with beauty.
Now, let’s tackle another essential dimension, one that builds upon the previous ones: clarity of intent. Clarity of intent means making the purpose of your code unmistakably clear. It’s not just about showing what the code is doing, but also communicating why it’s doing it, what problem it solves, and how each part contributes to that purpose.
The best path toward clarity is to refocus your code on the essential part of its plot. In chapter 2, we introduced the five fundamental plots of software development. Each of those stories, at its core, revolves around data:
- Delivering moves data between systems.
- Cleaning removes obsolete or invalid data.
- Defense protects data from unauthorized access.
- Archiving stores and retrieves data over time.
- Transformation turns raw data into something meaningful.