there is nothing stopping you from doing whatever query you wish to do. why does everybody assume that the simple example stuff in the demos and crappy articles are all that RoR has to offer. Do some research before completely dismissing something as a toy. I have been programming database applications for more years than most slashdot posters have been alive and I see a ton of value in RoR. No it is not for every situation but its damn sure a good fit for most. Most peoples opposition seems to stem from they cant grok it in an instant so it must be crap. I found the learning curve to be about 2 weeks and have found nothing I cant acheive in a elegant and efficient maner. RoR is the most well thought out framework I have ever used and I have used a ton. Its not perfect but what is? If you dismiss it you are missing out. Once you understand the internals of the framework you will be better off when developing in other platforms as well.