Java Persistence/Preface

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[edit] What is this book about?

This book is meant to cover Java persistence, that is, storing stuff in the Java programming language to a persistent storage medium. Specifically using the Java Persistence API (JPA) to store Java objects to relational databases, but I would like it to have a somewhat wider scope than just JPA and concentrate more on general persistence patterns and use cases, after all JPA is just the newest of many failed Java persistence standards, this book should be able to evolve beyond JPA when it is replaced by the next persistence standard. I do not want this to be just a regurgitation of the JPA Spec, nor a User Manual to using one of the JPA products, but more focused on real-world use cases of users and applications trying to make use of JPA (or other Java persistence solution) and the patterns they evolved and pitfalls they made.

[edit] Intended Audience

This book is intended to be useful for or to anyone learning to, or developing Java applications that require persisting data to a database. It is mainly intended for Java developers intending to persist Java objects through the Java Persistence API (JPA) standard to a relational database. Please don't just read this book, if you're learning or developing with JPA please contribute your experiences to this book.

[edit] Style

This book is meant to be written in a casual manner. The goal is avoid sounding dry, overly technical, or impersonal. The book should sound casual, like a co-worker explaining to you how to use something, or a fellow consultant relating their latest engagement to another. Please refrain for being overly critical of any product, ranting about bugs, or marketing your own product or services.

[edit] Authors

Everyone is encouraged to participate in the ongoing development of this book. You do not need to be a Java persistence superstar to contribute, many times the best advice/information for other users comes from first time users who have not yet been conditioned to think something that may be confusing is obvious.

List of authors: (please contribute and sign your name)

James Sutherland : Currently working on Oracle TopLink and Eclipse EclipseLink, over 12 years of experience in object persistence and ORM.

Doug Clarke : Oracle TopLink and Eclipse EclipseLink, over 10 years of experience in the object persistence industry.