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 TEST CENTER JDO streamlines data access in Java By Maggie Biggs November 2, 2001 MAKING CORPORATE DATA accessible to business applications today typically falls into the capable hands of Java developers, who often spend a good deal of time writing code specifically for data access and manipulation. A new standard called JDO (Java Data Objects) promises to simplify the coding of interactions between business applications and data sources by letting developers use transparent, object-based access to those data sources. Simply put, JDO allows developers to work with data using familiar Java constructs rather than having to write database-specific code, such as SQL, to manage data access and manipulation.
In addition to boosting developer productivity and lowering development costs, JDO improves software quality. Because developers avoid having to write database-specific interactions, companies should see a reduction in coding bugs. Moreover, implementing data access via objects also allows corporate programmers to increase component reuse, which also helps speed along the development of business applications. JDO can be implemented in a wide variety of settings, including mobile applications, two-tier client/server applications, and ntier enterprise environments. JDO classes can be reused on any tier, which also improves portability and makes it easier to quickly deploy data-related business apps in a number of different settings without having to take on additional coding. JDO on the radar The JDO standard effort began more than a year ago through the Java Community Process (www.jcp.org). The standard is now reaching its final draft, and with a milestone release of the reference implementation currently available, several tools and middle-tier solutions are beginning to offer support for JDO. By the end of 2001, expect JDO support to be available in a wide range of products, including Java and wireless development environments, object/relational mapping tools, middle-tier application servers, and back-end databases -- both relational and object-oriented. In our early work with JDO, we have found the standard to be well-defined except with regard to the methods used to map data configurations. The JDO standard does not specify how tools vendors are supposed to implement data mapping, and so products differ in approach. JDO does require, however, the output of mapping operations to be binary-compatible; as a result, companies will likely care little how data mapping is carried out as long as developers are satisfied with the techniques used by the vendor. JDO and the Java platform With the arrival of JDO, some developers may have questions about how JDO relates to other portions of the Java platform. For example, many developers may wonder how JDO relates to existing data-access techniques such as JDBC (Java Database Connectivity). JDO is an alternative to JDBC but not a replacement for it. Existing applications that use JDBC will continue functioning as is, and new applications can be written using JDBC when a database-specific coding strategy is preferred. Moreover, developers may not want to move existing applications that use JDBC to JDO unless they perform frequent application maintenance on them. JDO also complements EJB (Enterprise JavaBeans). For example, programmers can use JDO and EJBs together to access data, either using persistent classes in Session Beans, delegate classes in BMP (Bean-Managed Persistence) Entity Beans, or a container implementation alternative to JDBC in CMP (Container-Managed Persistence) Entity Beans. Developers need not modify existing applications that use EJBs, but they may wish to implement JDO with EJBs to simplify data access methods. According to Sun Microsystems, no decision has yet been made concerning whether or not the company will include JDO support in the next version of the Java 2 Platform, but available documentation suggests that JDO will be referenced in future Java Platform specifications. A win-win situation The JDO standard promises to be a winner for business leaders and corporate developers alike. Unifying data access -- that is, using familiar Java constructs to access information housed in relational databases, object databases, file systems, or even Flash RAM -- means that corporate applications will experience an increase in usability, portability, and integration. Making data more accessible to Java developers also helps reduce development and deployment costs. Developers can work with data transparently using the Java language and thereby avoid writing database-specific interfaces, boosting their productivity and in turn bolstering the bottom line. Contributing Editor Maggie Biggs (maggie_biggs@infoworld.com) has been developing business applications for more than 15 years.
 Get up to speed with JDO The fastest way to learn to code with JDO is to download the specifications, related documentation, and trial versions of products that support the standard.
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