Hi.

I am a strong SQL developer, using databases with thousands of tables. I am starting to use ORM for new web applications. My problem is that mapping references (many to one, many to many, etc.) with my mapped tables/classes is like enforcing in my app a messy legacy hierarchical database (the 70's!). I see it more as an academical concern than a real practical tool. Remember, I am talking about hundreds of tables interrelated, not two or three like the cases you see in tutorials and books.
Since a tool is a good tool when it lets you use just what you need (and leave what you don't in the shelf, in case you need it in the future) I was wondering if it is architecturally possible for an app to map only the needed tables and keep all referential integrity by (written) code, as it has been done since relational databases exist, letting the database to do what it is mean to do (why would you pay US$5 meg or more for an Oracle infrastructure if you don't?).
I haven't found any advice, example or comment about this concern, so I would like to leave this idea floating around: can Hibernate be used without reference mappings?