# Question about Rails with non-relational databases

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/question-about-rails-with-non-relational-databases/58501>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [April 22, 2006, 7:06am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/question-about-rails-with-non-relational-databases/58501 "2006-04-22T07:06:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Rosemary\_Michelle\_S](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@Rosemary\_Michelle\_S](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Rosemary_Michelle_S)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2006, 7:06am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/question-about-rails-with-non-relational-databases/58501/1 "2006-04-22T07:06:08Z")

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I’m very uncomfortable with Rails right now because it seems to be  
totally  
wedded to relational databases. I want to develop my data and data  
structures in Tinderbox - a hypertext data development system from  
Eastgate systems ([Tinderbox: The Tool For Notes](http://www.eastgate.com/Tinderbox/)), export the data  
and datastructures, massage to some format, and then use with a dynamic  
frontend that builds a web page based on the results of a query over  
that  
dataset.

I’m designing in terms of multiple POV and LOD representations of the  
semantic  
net, probably directed node-link graphs with the links as clickable  
objects,  
dynamically generated for the web. Right now I seem to be moving back  
towards a  
Java applet/servlet notion, but I’m not very happy with that. For one  
thing, I  
need to get something up in 2-3 months - part of the the appeal of Ruby  
on  
Rails was its reputation for enabling rapid dynamic website development.

Development in Tinderbox is a non-negotiable requirement. a relational  
database just won’t do it. I’m starting from a semantic net built from  
an  
index and want to dynamically generate view-dependent semantic nets from  
that  
data, semantic nets that can be general directed graphs.

Suggestions?

Rosemary Michelle Simpson

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Rosemary\_Michelle\_S](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@Rosemary\_Michelle\_S](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Rosemary_Michelle_S)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2006, 9:07am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/question-about-rails-with-non-relational-databases/58501/2 "2006-04-22T09:07:34Z")

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While we’re on the subject I want an Active Record that represents a  
graph [in the RDF sense] - I know theres some individuals working on  
this rather daunting task and I’ve poured enough thought into it to  
realize that it doesn’t really add up [nor should it]. i.e. I don’t  
think there’s going to be a good suggestion [but I should would like to  
hear one]… anybody working on an RDF Active Record pls post up a link.  
Thanks.

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**Author:** ![Rosemary\_Michelle\_S](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@Rosemary\_Michelle\_S](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Rosemary_Michelle_S)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2006, 4:23pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/question-about-rails-with-non-relational-databases/58501/3 "2006-04-22T16:23:53Z")

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Rosemary Michelle Simpson \<rms@…\> writes:

> Suggestions?

ActiveRDF might be worth looking at (per previous message).

Bruce

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Rosemary\_Michelle\_S](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@Rosemary\_Michelle\_S](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Rosemary_Michelle_S)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2006, 9:27am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/question-about-rails-with-non-relational-databases/58501/4 "2006-04-22T09:27:19Z")

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brez! !! wrote:

> anybody working on an RDF Active Record pls post up a link.  
> Thanks.

uh spoke too soon…

[http://activerdf.org/](http://activerdf.org/)

looks interesting.