Every now and then, I am asked if a JPA for NoSQL JSR should be started. Let me share my opinion on the subject.
In short, probably at some point but certainly not today.
I do think there is something to offering an Object X Mapper for NoSQL engines and Hibernate OGM is proof of my belief but jumping on the standardization wagon is a whole different thing.
Trying to standardize something not mature enough or without practical experience on the subject very often go wrong and for good reasons. Cemeteries are filled with dead cold standards that hurt developers. I am a strong believer in standards and Mark our CTO too. But look at what we did for JPA and Bean Validation: take solid and useful techs and standardize them to improve integration with the rest of the ecosystem. That's the same model we use for the data grid JSR.
In Hibernate OGM, we are barely exploring how to properly map data and discovering interesting possibilities such a layer offers. Now would be a bad time to try and set in store rules. Heck, we might even arrive to the conclusion that such tool turns out not being useful after all.
I am of course open to discuss and exchange on the subject and more than happy to change my mind :) You know where I stand, what's your position on the subject?
