If you are going to write database software, you should use an application framework.  What’s an application framework?  Well, it’s a piece of software in and of itself.  So, in short, an application framework is software for creating software.  Frameworks take care of all the basics, so you, the software developer, don’t have to “re-invent the wheel” with these mundane tasks.  What are the basics?  Well, a good application framework should cover at least the following:

• Security - If you’re going to write nearly any database application, you’ll inevitably need to be able to control who can create, read, update, and delete information
• C.R.U.D. - Speaking of “create, read, update, and delete”, a good application framework will have these basic record functions readily available
• Navigation - I’m not talking about the look-and-feel, but the “nouns” that the user has permission to navigate to within the application
• API/SDK - Perhaps the most obvious aspect to a framework is its Application Programming Interface and its Software Development Kit

The basic application framework provides enough functionality to help you organize, secure, and access the data.  That’s the bottom line.  More advanced frameworks may also provide approval & workflow mechanisms, user interface options, and integrated reporting capabilities.

Large, old-school database applications which don’t utilize an application framework approach grow like a snowball: always adding more and more “stuff” to a central core.  When a new feature is needed, it gets tacked-on.  In contrast, application frameworks allow software developers to separate their development from the core framework, thus reducing the risk of negatively impacting tried-and-true functionality and providing a more scalable, agile, and stable solution.