Going tableless
Tableless html was all the rage a decade ago -- for a good reason. One of the advantages was maintainability of the markup -- especially in a deeply nested table layout. It also turned out, the table layout didn't actually fit the way we wanted to present the data. The rigid structure it enforced wasn't what we were after - and it also limited the freedom designers had to push forward and create next generation website and application layouts. In the beginning though, it really was the only way to get stuff done -- and the best tool for the job. It was fun while it lasted -- but we are over it now. Today -- we are entering a similar situation -- in databases, of all places. Tableless databases are becoming all the rage today -- for a good reason. One of the advantages of going tableless db is maintainability of the data -- especially with deeply nested data. It turns out, the table schema doesn't fit the way we want to work with or present data. The rigid struc...