In this talk Robert C. Martin describes a similar situation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asLUTiJJqdE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asLUTiJJqdE They refrai

In this talk Robert C. Martin describes a similar situation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asLUTiJJqdE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asLUTiJJqdE They refrain from committing to a database server early on so they create an interface to storage and start saving data in files. He contrasts putting the database in the center of design vs. putting the application logic in the center of design. Then he goes on to talk about hexagonal architecture. A very good talk if you haven't seen it.