> "The use of Object Relational Mapper libraries (ORMs) is so prevalent today that it’s uncommon to see anyone question their use."<p>Depends on where you work. At every company for which I've interviewed (or done the interviewing) where ORMs were used the portion of the interview devoted to probing one's understanding of SQL and database querying was more intense than shops where ORMs aren't used. The reason was clear enough: do you really understand what the ORM is doing and can you program your way out of a situation where the ORM cannot make an efficient query? The problem here isn't with the ORM but in the expectations of technical leadership.