Problem is that DB schemas are unlikely to be exposed as a real API by any app. It may feel like an API but actually writing software that pokes DB tables direc

Problem is that DB schemas are unlikely to be exposed as a real API by any app. It may feel like an API but actually writing software that pokes DB tables directly would just create the kind of support and upgrade headaches that presumably are driving Atlassian to this decision. The other advantage of the JB approach is it's one click install and upgrade. No schema migrations, complicated issues with DBA hoarding permissions etc.