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I am researching to start a new project based on Liferay.

It relies on a system that will require its own data model and a certain agility and flexibility in data management as well as its visualization.

These are my options:

  • Using Liferay Expando fields and define their own data models. I must do all the view layer.
  • Using Liferay ECMS adding patches creating structures and hooks that allow me to define data models Master - Detail. It makes much easier viewing issue (velocity templates), but perhaps is the most "dirty" way.
  • Generating data layer and access to services with Hibernate and Spring. (using Service Factory, for example).
  • Liferay Service Builder would be similar to the option of creating the platform with Hibernate and Spring.
  • CRUD generation systems as OpenXava or your XMLPortletFactory

And now my question, what is your advice? What advantages or disadvantages do you think would provide one or another option?

Thanks in advance.

Pymoo
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1 Answers1

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I can't speak for the other CRUD generation systems but I can tell you about the Liferay approaches.

I would take a hybrid approach.

First, I would create the required data models as best as I can with the current requirements in Liferay Service Builder and maintain them there as much as possible. This would require that you rebuild and redeploy your plugin every time you changed the data model but would greatly enhance performance compared to all the other Liferay approaches you've mentioned. Service Builder in that regard is much more rigid and cannot be changed via GUI.

However, in the event for some reason you cannot use Service Builder to redefine your data models and you need certain aspects of it the be changed via GUI, you can also use Expandos to extend the models you've created with Service Builder. So, it is the best of both worlds.

On the other option, using the ECMS would be a specialized case and I would only take this approach if there is a particular requirement it satisfies (like integration with the ECMS).

With that said, Liferay provides you many different ways to create your application. It ultimately depends on how you're going to use your application.

rp.
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  • Thank you RP. I've cleared most of the questions. I'll try one of the CRUD solutions but just because it allows me to integrate service-builder with an interface made ​​with velocity that will give me the power and flexibility I need – Pymoo Oct 05 '11 at 16:14