It definitely sounds like you are doing something wrong. Rails really wants you to do things it's way. You don't have to, rails, especially version 3, is only g

It definitely sounds like you are doing something wrong. Rails really wants you to do things it's way. You don't have to, rails, especially version 3, is only generated html and routes to functions. It just generates a lot of stuff for you. If you want to work outside of the provided functionality it's just going to be harder. In fact the application I'm using at work right now uses ExtJS for views and half of the data is retrieved through manual queries. Rails is not designed to do this but it can work, if you are willing to put in the effort to work around missing functionality. I do not recommend using rails as a hammer, it's a very bad hammer. It's a chainsaw with diamond teeth and a 50 hp gas-powered engine. If you have a lot of wood to chop through, it's amazing. If you need to pound in a few nails, it's a little awkward. :)