The ORM Is a Lie: Why Every Senior Engineer Eventually Writes Raw SQL

📰 Medium · Programming

Senior engineers often resort to writing raw SQL despite using ORMs, and understanding why is crucial for efficient database querying

intermediate Published 9 Jun 2026
Action Steps
  1. Recognize the limitations of ORMs in complex queries
  2. Identify performance bottlenecks in your application
  3. Write raw SQL to optimize database queries
  4. Test and benchmark raw SQL queries against ORM-generated queries
  5. Refactor your code to use raw SQL where necessary
Who Needs to Know This

Senior engineers and tech leads can benefit from this knowledge to optimize database performance and troubleshoot issues

Key Insight

💡 ORMs can't always replace the need for raw SQL, especially in complex queries or performance-critical applications

Share This
🚨 Senior engineers, don't be fooled by ORMs! Raw SQL can be necessary for optimal performance 🚨

Full Article

You shipped it. The feature is live. The ORM query looks clean. Your tech lead approved it. Your unit tests are green. Then your phone… Continue reading on Medium »
Read full article → ← Back to Reads