Drupal 7 introduces the entity field and query APIs which allow content to be stored and queried in a flexible way across different database backends like MySQL and MongoDB. This makes it possible to write database agnostic queries and supports fields as first class objects that can be attached to entities like nodes. The new APIs provide a standard way to work with content that improves scalability and allows sites to choose the optimal database storage for their needs.

1. Marc Ingram Entity Field Query API Examiner.com http://drupal.org/user/77320

2. The need for a query builder Where we are now Drupal 6 has no concept of a query builder http://buytaert.net/starting-to-work-on-drupal-7 Feb 2008 Every query must be hand crafted for a specific database

3. View offers the ability to create custom queries on the fly View 3 allows for plugable backends

4. Views based queries are not always optimal D7 changes this

5. Views in core Why for developers? No GUI

6. Lacks the structured tpl structure that views provides

7. Need to be able to write code Why is this possible? Fields in core

8. Plugable storage

9. Fields in Core What does fields in core mean? Bundles/Entities This is the basic building block Taxonomy terms, Taxonomy vocabularies, Users, Nodes, Files You can build your own Fields Allows you define fields that can be used by entities Instances Associates fields with given entities and bundles

10. Entities and bundles hook_entity_info() Allows you to create new entities

11. Example of a node entity

12. hook_entity_info_alter() Bundle is a sub class of an entity CCK content type

13. Taxonomy terms are classified by vocabularies

14. Bundles can have there own properties

15. Fields All entities are now fieldable This means the concept of cck is no longer restricted to nodes Core comes with predefined field types Text, Options, Number, List CCK minus user and node reference these are still contrib