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Concept DBAL

A low-level, foundational tool for building database abstractions in PHP 8.2+. Part of the Concept Ecosystem, designed specifically for Dependency Injection using Singularity Container.

⚠️ Important: DBAL is NOT an ORM or ActiveRecord - it's a low-level query builder that you use to BUILD ORMs, ActiveRecord, Repositories, Collections, and other data patterns. Think of it as LEGO blocks for your data layer.

What DBAL Is

• ✅ Low-level query builder - Programmatic SQL construction
• ✅ Foundation for abstractions - Build ORMs, ActiveRecord, Repositories on top
• ✅ Type-safe primitives - Building blocks for your data layer
• ✅ Expression-based - Built on concept-labs/expression

What DBAL Is Not

• ❌ Not an ORM - Doesn't map tables to objects (build your own!)
• ❌ Not ActiveRecord - No model classes (implement your own!)
• ❌ Not a complete solution - Provides primitives, not patterns (you choose the patterns!)

See Building on DBAL for examples of building ActiveRecord, ORMs, Repositories, Collections, and more.

Features

• 🎯 Fluent Query Builder - Intuitive, chainable API built on concept-labs/expression
• 🔧 Type-Safe - Leverages PHP 8.2+ features for better type safety
• 🏗️ Clean Architecture - Interface-driven design with clear separation of concerns
• 💉 DI-First - Designed for dependency injection with Singularity container
• 🚀 Performance - Efficient query building with prototype pattern
• 🔌 Extensible - Easy to extend with custom builders and expressions
• 🌐 Framework Agnostic - Works standalone or integrates with modern frameworks
• 📦 Ecosystem Integration - Part of Concept-Labs packages working seamlessly together

Quick Start

Installation

With Dependency Injection (Recommended)

DBAL is designed from the ground up for dependency injection with Singularity Container, leveraging the powerful concept-labs/expression system for building complex SQL expressions.

Basic DI Usage

Advanced Expression Building

Build complex conditions with the expression system:

Expression Composition & Reusability

Create reusable expression components for consistent logic:

Aggregate Functions & Analytics

Leverage SQL aggregate functions through expressions:

Dynamic Filter Builder Pattern

Build filters dynamically based on user input:

See Examples for more real-world patterns.

Standalone Usage

Query Examples

Documentation

📚 Documentation Index

Getting Started:

• Introduction - Package overview, Concept Ecosystem, what DBAL is/isn't
• Building on DBAL - Build ORMs, ActiveRecord, Repositories, Collections
• Installation - Installation with DI and standalone setup
• Quick Start - Get started with query building
• Standalone Usage - Using DBAL without a framework
• Framework Integration - Laravel, Symfony, Slim, and more

Technical Guides:

• Architecture - Design patterns and Expression package integration
• Query Builders - Complete guide to query builders
• SQL Expressions - Expression system from concept-labs/expression
• Dependency Injection - Integration with Singularity
• Concept Ecosystem - Integration with other Concept packages

Reference & Examples:

• API Reference - Complete API documentation
• Best Practices - Recommended patterns and practices
• Examples - Real-world usage examples
• Comparison - How we compare to other solutions

Why Concept DBAL?

This package is specifically designed as part of the Concept Ecosystem with these principles:

• DI-First Architecture - Built for dependency injection with Singularity container
• Clean Code - Interface-driven design promotes testability and maintainability
• Type Safety - Full use of PHP 8.2+ type system reduces runtime errors
• Expression-Based - Built on concept-labs/expression for powerful query building
• Ecosystem Integration - Seamlessly works with other Concept-Labs packages
• Framework Agnostic - Use standalone or integrate with any modern PHP framework

Part of Concept Ecosystem

Concept DBAL is a core component of the Concept Ecosystem and depends on:

Core Dependencies

• concept-labs/expression - Base expression language system

  • DBAL extends Expression to build SQL-specific expressions
  • Provides fluent, chainable expression building
  • Type-safe query component construction

• concept-labs/dbc-pdo - PDO Database Connection wrapper

  • Connection management and query execution
  • Transaction support
  • Prepared statement handling

• concept-labs/config - Configuration management

  • Database connection configuration
  • Environment-specific settings
• concept-labs/exception - Exception handling
  • Structured error handling
  • Database-specific exceptions

DI Container

• Singularity - Dependency Injection Container
  • Auto-wiring of all DBAL components
  • Service lifecycle management
  • concept.json configuration support

Requirements

• PHP 8.2 or higher
• Composer for dependency management

License

Apache License 2.0. See LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Support

For issues, questions, or contributions, please visit our GitHub repository.