Service-oriented architecture ( SOA ) is a software design and software architecture design pattern based on discrete pieces of software providing application functionality as services to other applications. More Object-relational mapping ( ORM , O/RM , and O/R mapping ) in computer software is a programming technique for converting data between incompatible type systems in object-oriented programming languages. This creates, in effect, a "virtual object database " that can be used from within the programming language. There are both free and commercial packages available that perform object-relational mapping, although some programmers opt to create their own ORM tools. More