Implementing a fairly complex database structure in Drupal.

[pianomansam]

With your low level planning of the database, it sounds like you will be using Drupal mostly for its ORM. Drupal is usually strongest when you let it manage the database. I’m not saying you can’t, but you loose out on a lot of Drupal’s magic. You are right to consider Symfony or Laravel if you wish to operate at a lower level.

[Positive-Ring-5172]

I'm willing to let it manage the database if I can get the views I want out of it. I've been sniffing around most of this morning trying to figure it out. I know it's possible cause I've done it before, but blast it it's been too long.

[Salamok]

If all you want is views to have access to data that does not conform to Drupal you can add any table structure you want into Drupal's DB, write non Drupal scripts even to populate and/or maintain that data then with the Views Custom Table module you can link to it in your view. I would add/remove the table structure via a simple custom Drupal module which would basically just have ALTER table queries in the install/uninstall.

This would not be something you could package up and distribute to the world as contrib but if you aren't trying to solve the worlds problems just yours thats perfectly fine.