CRUD Pages
Auto-generated Create, Read (List) includes Sort and Filter, Update, Delete, and Download capabilities for all entities.
Overview
Since the system is metadata-driven, it requires robust CRUD functionality for all assets. Instead of manually creating CRUD operations for 80+ tables, the system auto-generates them based on metadata configurations. Every Create, Read (List), Update, Delete, and Download operation is automated, ensuring data validation, caching, role-based access, and seamless foreign key lookups—all within a multi-tenant-aware environment.
Key Goals:
Build sophisticated CRUD pages beyond Django’s default admin interface.
Support multi-tenant awareness (Owner vs. Tenant vs. Both).
Implement data validation, foreign key lookups, sorting, filtering, and ID management.
Integrate caching for high-volume data and enforce tenant-based data isolation.
Complexity: High
Components
List View
The auto-generated List View, dynamically built to support filtering, sorting, lookups, and data exports.
SOARL Summary
Needed a List View that dynamically adapts based on the metadata schema.
Required Excel exports, complex filtering, and foreign key label resolution.
Django’s tightly coupled Model → View → URL → Template structure made this challenging to scale.
With 80+ tables, manually maintaining these views would be unsustainable.
Frequent model changes meant CRUD logic needed to be flexible.
Direct DB calls for everything were inefficient and time-consuming.
Developed a pattern-based code generator to dynamically create List Views.
{“Identified four primary CRUD patterns”=>nil}
- High-volume data (No FK) – Needed caching.
- Low-volume data (No FK) – Standard CRUD.
- High-volume data (With FK) – Required caching + lookup resolution.
- Low-volume data (With FK) – Needed optimized FK resolution.
Fully automated** CRUD operations, supporting any combination of table structures.
Updates require only metadata adjustments—no manual coding needed.
Pattern-based code generation** allows instant bug fixes across all CRUD views.
Adding new features (e.g., caching, tenant filtering) applies system-wide with a single edit.
Situation:
Obstacle:
Action:
Result:
Learning:
Create View
Automates the creation of new records, ensuring data validation, auto-generated IDs, and form-based inputs.
Update View
Allows users to modify existing records with real-time validation and role-based restrictions.
Delete View
Provides safe, permission-controlled deletion, enforcing data integrity rules.
Download View
Enables exporting data to Excel or CSV, with dynamic field selection and optimized query execution.
Key Learnings
- Pattern-based CRUD generation is a force multiplier—fixing a bug or adding a feature applies **instantly across all views. - Multi-tenant CRUD logic** ensures each user sees only their relevant data while keeping shared architecture efficient. - Metadata-driven automation** makes updates and enhancements fast, predictable, and scalable.
Demos
Final Thoughts
Manually coding CRUD pages for dozens of tables is not scalable. Auto-generated, metadata-driven CRUD operations eliminate repetitive development work, ensuring faster iteration, improved maintainability, and enhanced multi-tenant security. 🚀