This book is divided into five major parts.
In part 1, “Getting started with ORM,” we discuss the fundamentals behind object/
relational mapping. We walk through a hands-on tutorial to get you started with your
first Hibernate project. We look at Java application design for domain models and at
the options for creating object/relational mapping metadata.
Part 2, “Mapping strategies,” focuses on Java classes and their properties, and how
they map to SQL tables and columns. We explore all basic and advanced mapping
options in Hibernate and Java Persistence. We show you how to deal with inheritance,
collections, and complex class associations. Finally, we discuss integration with legacy
database schemas and some mapping strategies that are especially tricky.
Part 3, “Transactional data processing,” is all about loading and storing data with
Hibernate and Java Persistence. We introduce the programming interfaces, how to
write transactional applications, and how Hibernate can load data from the database
most efficiently.
With part 4, “Writing queries,” we introduce the data query features and cover
query languages and APIs in detail. Not all chapters in this part are written in a tutorial
style; we expect you’ll browse this part of the book frequently when building an application and looking up a solution for a particular query problem.
In part 5, “Building applications,” we discuss the design and implementation of layered and conversation-aware Java database applications. We discuss the most common
design patterns that are used with Hibernate, such as the Data Access Object (DAO).
You see how you can test your Hibernate application easily and learn what other best
practices are relevant if you work with an object/relational mapping software in web
and client/server applications in general.
