> Finally, using a DAL can help keep inexperienced programmers on track with security, accessibility, and performance requirements. This is a sure way they'll

> Finally, using a DAL can help keep inexperienced programmers on track with security, accessibility, and performance requirements. This is a sure way they'll never learn the real thing. I know since I'm sitting next to a (young but talented) guy who knows only Spring and JPA, and freaks out all the time because the developer of the legacy system had dared to assemble SQL queries manually in the code (which are complex enough I personally hadn't bothered using JPQL in a trial-and-error development model either). Wasn't the post exactly about not wasting novice and other developer's time with crap criteria APIs and such? Just compare the sheer size of the SQL spec or reference manual against the shallow description of JPQL to judge which language you should be using for a project with any kind of depth.