Do you enjoy writing software, except for the database code? Hibernate:A Developer's Notebook is for you.

Database experts may enjoy fiddling with SQL, but you don't have to--the rest of the application is the fun part. And even database experts dread the tedious plumbing and typographical spaghetti needed to put their SQL into a Java program. Hibernate: A Developers Notebook shows you how to use Hibernate to automate persistence: you write natural Java objects and some simple configuration files, and Hibernate automates all the interaction between your objects and the database. You don't even need to know the database is there, and you can change from one database to another simply by changing a few statements in a configuration file.

Hibernate: A Developer's Notebook walks you through the ins and outs of using Hibernate, from installation and configuration, to complex associations and composite types. Two chapters explore ways to write sophisticated queries, which you can express either through a pure Java API, or with an SQL-inspired, but object-oriented, query language. Don't let that intimidate you though: one of the biggest surprises in working with Hibernate is that for many of the common real-world application scenarios, you don't need an explicit query at all.

If you've needed to add a database backend to your application, don't put it off. It's much more fun than it used to be, and Hibernate: A Developer's Notebook shows you why.

Here's what a few reviewers had to say:

"I'm sitting on an airplane after finishing Hibernate: A Developer's Notebook. It's rare to find a book on a new Java technology that you can get through on a domestic flight. That this notebook effectively and succinctly tackles object-relational mapping makes it, and Hibernate, even more impressive. Many books in this category would need to be checked luggage. With this book, you travel first class." --Mike Clark

"A simple persistence framework deserves a simple book, and this one delivers. The examples are well described and easy to understand, yet sophisticated enough to demonstrate Hibernate in a real-world context. Jim, I'm a new fan." --Bruce Tate


About the new Developer's Notebook Series from O'Reilly:
Developer's Notebooks are a new book series covering important new tools for software developers. Developer's Notebooks stress example over explanation and practice over theory. They are about learning by doing; by experimenting with tools and discovering what works. "All lab,no lecture," with a thoughtful lab partner to guide the way

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter 1. Installation and Setup

      Getting an Ant Distribution 

      Getting the HSQLDB Database Engine 

      Getting Hibernate 

      Setting Up a Project Hierarchy 

Chapter 2. Introduction to Mapping

      Writing a Mapping Document 

      Generating Some Class 

      Cooking Up a Schema 

      Connecting Hibernate to MySQL 

Chapter 3. Harnessing Hibernate

      Creating Persistent Objects 

      Finding Persistent Objects 

      Better Ways to Build Queries 

Chapter 4. Collections and Associations

      Mapping Collections 

      Persisting Collections 

      Retrieving Collections 

      Using Bidirectional Associations 

      Working with Simple Collections 

Chapter 5. Richer Associations

      Using Lazy Associations 

      Ordered Collections 

      Augmenting Associations in Collections 

      Lifecycle Associations 

      Reflexive Associations 

Chapter 6. Persistent Enumerated Types

      Defining a Persistent Enumerated Type 

      Working with Persistent Enumerations 

Chapter 7. Custom Value Types

      Defining a User Type 

      Using a Custom Type Mapping 

      Building a Composite User Type 

Chapter 8. Criteria Queries

      Using Simple Criteria 

      Compounding Criteria 

      Applying Criteria to Associations 

      Querying by Example 

Chapter 9. A Look at HQL

      Writing HQL Queries 

      Selecting Properties and Pieces 

      Sorting 

      Working with Aggregate Values 

      Writing Native SQL Queries 

Appendix A. Hibernate Types

Appendix B. Standard Criteria

Appendix C. Hibernate SQL Dialects

Index