In the previous chapter, we learned how to store data in a database and how to work with this stored data. However, Mapper is not the only persistent layer available in Lift. In fact, there is another one, named Record.
In this chapter, we will learn how to use Record to integrate Lift with Squeryl, which is an ORM and DSL (Domain-specific language), for Scala. Unlike other ORM frameworks that provide a string-based query language, such as JPA-QL and HQL (to mention a few), Squeryl gives us a powerful DSL that we can use to create type-safe access to the database. This means that if you have used any string based query language, when changes to the database are made, you will probably have to deal with runtime errors because the application compiles just fine. But, if you access the database using a DSL that can be checked at compilation time, this means that any changes made to the database and to your models will make your project stop compiling.
While Mappers is a complete...