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Object-relational mapper

An object-relational mapper is software that maps programming-language objects and operations to relational database structures and operations.

How 7 Manning books explain it

Java Persistence with Spring Data and Hibernate epub

Object-relational mapping (ORM) is the technique of representing and synchronizing object-oriented domain models with relational database structures.

How it is used
Connects Java domain objects to relational tables so applications can persist and retrieve objects without hand-coding most mapping work.
How deep it goes
Defines metadata-driven persistence and examines mapping defaults, associations, inheritance, and retrieval tradeoffs rather than treating ORM as automatic SQL avoidance.
Examples
Uses an auction domain with users, items, bids, categories, and billing details, plus SQL retrieval of associated billing data.
What you can do after
Apply it via JPA and Hibernate or Spring Data, while evaluating mapping choices and inspecting generated SQL for performance.

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Django in Action

An object-relational mapper maps application objects and their operations to relational database records and queries.

How it is used
Connects Django views and web applications to relationally stored content through Python objects.
How deep it goes
Explains model-to-table and object-to-row mappings, relationships, reverse relationships, and CRUD operations without database implementation internals.
Examples
Illustrates books, authors, publishers, catalogs, articles, inventory, documents, and content-oriented websites.
What you can do after
Apply it via Django’s ORM to define models, store objects, query related content, and perform CRUD operations.

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Building Web APIs with ASP.NET Core

An object-relational mapper is a software component that maps programming-language objects and operations to relational database structures and SQL operations.

How it is used
Provides standardized relational-data access for ASP.NET Core applications through C# rather than exclusively handwritten SQL.
How deep it goes
Explains object-schema mapping, ORM benefits, injection risks, context setup, entities, CRUD operations, and migrations.
Examples
Uses a user-notes update to contrast raw SQL, interpolated SQL, parameterized SQL, and an ORM-based C# update.
What you can do after
Operate/configure EF Core with a context, connection string, entity classes, CRUD operations, and migrations.

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Build Financial Software with Generative AI (From Scratch)

An object-relational mapper is software that maps programming-language objects to relational database tables and operations.

How it is used
Simplifies application-class interactions with relational database records after direct SQL patterns are understood.
How deep it goes
Defines ORM mapping and contrasts it with handwritten CRUD SQL, deferring an actual ORM implementation.
Examples
Uses an ACH file schema, an AchFileSql insert-and-retrieve wrapper, unit tests, and an ACH relational schema.
What you can do after
Evaluate whether selected handwritten SQL queries can be replaced with an ORM.

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ASP.NET Core in Action, 3e

An object-relational mapper is a software abstraction that maps object-oriented program types and operations to database concepts such as tables, columns, and queries.

How it is used
Speeds application development by replacing much routine database plumbing with object-oriented data access.
How deep it goes
Explains mapping, generated SQL, change tracking, providers, and schema alignment, while warning that abstraction can hide inefficient queries.
Examples
Uses an e-commerce product lookup to contrast low-level database access with LINQ-based loading and tracked updates.
What you can do after
Apply it via EF Core to query relational data as POCO entities and persist tracked changes through a DbContext.

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The Quick Python Book, Fourth Edition

Object-relational mapping is a technique for representing relational database tables and rows as programming-language objects and attributes.

How it is used
Reduces boilerplate database work by exposing relational data through Python objects while preserving optional SQL access.
How deep it goes
Demonstrates setup, schema mapping, insertion, selection, filtering, updating, object mutation, and deletion, but not advanced relationships.
Examples
Uses a SQLite people table with Bob, Jill, Joe, and Jane to demonstrate creation, queries, filtering, updates, insertion, and deletion.
What you can do after
Apply it via SQLAlchemy to create mapped tables, persist Python objects, query records, update values, and delete rows.

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AI-Powered Developer: Build software with ChatGPT and Copilot

Object-relational mapping is a technique that represents relational database records as objects and translates between object operations and database operations.

How it is used
Models an asset-management database as application classes so domain code can work with assets, funding details, and depreciation strategies.
How deep it goes
Defines table, column, primary-key, foreign-key, and model-method mappings, but does not show complete persistence operations.
Examples
Uses assets, funding details, depreciation strategies, typed columns, and an assets-to-funding-details foreign key.
What you can do after
Build it from scratch by declaring application models that correspond to relational tables and their key relationships.

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Related concepts

These guides are generated from the text of Manning books by Manning's knowledge graph and link to the sections they draw on. The full books are available on liveBook and at manning.com.