We are a non-profit committed to educating the Dallas Metroplex in all things Java.

Data-oriented programming models data as data: records for entities and sealed types for alternatives. Combined with pattern matching we can define operations on the data without overloading it with functionality.

In data-oriented programming (DOP), we model data as data and polymorphic behavior with pattern matching. This talk will introduce the concept of DOP and its four principles:

• model data immutably and transparently
• model the data, the whole data, and nothing but the data
• make illegal states unrepresentable
• separate operations from data

We'll also explore how to use pattern matching as a safe, powerful, and maintainable mechanism for ad-hoc polymorphism on such data that lets us define operations without overloading the types with functionality. The talk ends with a juxtaposition to OOP, so you not only learn how to employ DOP but also when (not).

Nicolai (aka nipafx) is a Java enthusiast focused on language features, core APIs, and runtime evolution with a passion for learning and sharing. He does that mostly at conferences and in his biweekly Inside Java Newscast, but also occasionally in podcasts, live streams, articles, and books - more on all that on nipafx.dev. He's a Java Developer Advocate at Oracle and otherwise best known for his haircut.