ADR-002: SQLAlchemy-Centric Adapter Adoption

Status

Accepted

Context

To handle multiple RDBMSes through a common API, dialect/driver abstraction is required. Building this from scratch would be prohibitively costly.

Decision

The RDBMS MVP adopts an adapter based on SQLAlchemy Core.

Rationale

• Broad dialect support: PostgreSQL / MySQL / SQLite / Oracle / SQL Server, etc.
• Hides DBAPI/driver differences cleanly
• Reflection, query builder, and parameter binding can be reused
• Can use Core alone without the ORM

Alternatives

1. Direct per-DB raw driver support
2. ORM-centric design
3. Fully custom query layer

Selection Rationale

SQLAlchemy Core offers the best balance among the alternatives.

Consequences

• RDBMS reach achieved quickly
• Driver selection possible via package extras
• Non-SQL stores such as MongoDB maintain separate adapters