1. A computer system that facilitates access to and manipulation of a relational database from a client application, comprising an interface component that detects a programming language of the client application, and collects information on an object-relational mapping between the objects in the programming language of the client application and the relational database; and a mapping component that facilitates the access and manipulation of the relational database by employing a common object-relational mapping format that facilitates mapping classes of the programming language of the client application to tables in the relational database.