Values for acts_as_enumerated models are cached (reducing hits to the database) and you can define �virtual� acts_as_enumeration classes, eliminating the need to clutter your models directory with classes that do nothing more than acts_as_enumerated.

The has_enumerated macro allows your models to refer to acts_as_enumerated instances without resorting to using belongs_to (which can require you to jump through hoops to avoid the database hit when retrieving the enumeration value).