How to use cakephp 2 with custom database connection and raw queries - cakephp

Question

I have to work with an Oracle database using the old database driver (ora_logon ) which is not supported by cakephp. I cant use the oci driver instead.
Right now I do the follow:
Every method of every model connects to the database and retrieve data
class SomeClass extends Model {
public function getA(){
if ($conn=ora_logon("username","password"){
//make the query
// retrieve data
//put data in array and return the array
}
}
public function getB(){
if ($conn=ora_logon("username","password"){
//make the query
// retrieve data
//put data in array and return the array
}
}
}
I know that it is not the best way go.
How could I leave cakephp manage opening and closing of the connection to the database and have models only retrieve data? I'm not interested in any database abstraction layer.

Answer 1

I would think you could just make your own OracleBehavior. Each model could use this behavior, and in it, you can overwrite or extend the Model's find() behavior to build a traditional oracle query and run it (I don't know much about Oracle).
Then, in your Behavior's beforeFind() you can open your connection, and in your Behavior's afterFind(), you can close your database connection.
That way, every time before a query is run, it automatically opens the connection, and every time after a find it closes it. You can do the same with beforeSave() and afterSave() and beforeDelete() and afterDelete(). (You'll likely want to create a single connect() method and disconnect() method in the Behavior, so you don't have duplicate code in each beforeX() method.

Answer 2

Do you really need to extend a Cake Model class?
class SomeClass extends Model {
private $conn;
public function constructor() {
parent::constructor();
$conn = ora_logon("username","password");
if(!$conn)
throw new Exception();
}
public function getA() {
//Some code
}
}
SomeController:
App::uses('SomeClass','Model');
public function action() {
$data = array();
$error = null;
try{
$myDb = new SomeClass();
$data = $myDb->getA();
} catch($e) {
$error = 'Cannot connect to database';
}
$this->set(compact('data', 'error'));
}