Data access framework

Spring's data access framework addresses common difficulties developers face when working with databases in applications. Support is provided for all popular data access frameworks in Java: JDBC, iBatis/MyBatis, Hibernate, JDO, JPA, Oracle TopLink, Apache OJB, and Apache Cayenne, among others.For all of these supported frameworks, Spring provides these features
  • Resource management - automatically acquiring and releasing database resources
  • Exception handling - translating data access related exception to a Spring data access hierarchy
  • Transaction participation - transparent participation in ongoing transactions
  • Resource unwrapping - retrieving database objects from connection pool wrappers
  • Abstraction for BLOB and CLOB handling
All these features become available when using template classes provided by Spring for each supported framework. Critics have said these template classes are intrusive and offer no advantage over using (for example) the Hibernate API directly. In response, the Spring developers have made it possible to use the Hibernate and JPA APIs directly. This however requires transparent transaction management, as application code no longer assumes the responsibility to obtain and close database resources, and does not support exception translation.
Together with Spring's transaction management, its data access framework offers a flexible abstraction for working with data access frameworks. The Spring Framework doesn't offer a common data access API; instead, the full power of the supported APIs is kept intact. The Spring Framework is the only framework available in Java that offers managed data access environments outside of an application server or container.
While using Spring for transaction management with Hibernate, the following beans may have to be configured:
  • A Data Source like com.mchange.v2.c3p0.ComboPooledDataSource or org.apache.commons.dbcp.BasicDataSource
  • A SessionFactory like org.springframework.orm.hibernate3.LocalSessionFactoryBean with a DataSource attribute
  • A HibernateProperties like org.springframework.beans.factory.config.PropertiesFactoryBean
  • A TransactionManager like org.springframework.orm.hibernate3.HibernateTransactionManager with a SessionFactory attribute
Other points of configuration include:
  • An AOP configuration of cutting points.
  • Transaction semantics of AOP advice.

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