Much of the time the "big picture" isn't local. That's just the nature of the big picture by definition. I find it better to put "big picture" stuff in the RDBM

Much of the time the "big picture" isn't local. That's just the nature of the big picture by definition. I find it better to put "big picture" stuff in the RDBMS, including UI issues (see "Table-Oriented" nearby), and keep only local details in code. For example, the menus and navigation can almost all be tracked and managed in the RDBMS. It's easier to query and study the structure that way because I can sort, search, group, and filter it by any way --I-- please for any given need; I don't want to be stuck with YOUR single grouping; I want to be the Grouping God when studying the app. File-centric code can't do that (at least not without an IDE that reinvents a database). Therefore, don't do it. Use code where code is best, and RDBMS where RDBMS is best. Code sucks at the big-picture and FP won't change that.