A Comparative Study of Persistence Mechanisms for the Java(TM) Platform

Access to persistent data is a requirement for the majority of computer applications. The Java programming language and associated run-time environment provide excellent features for the construction of reliable and robust applications, but currently these do not extend to the domain of persistent data. Many mechanisms for managing persistent data have been proposed, some of which are now included in the standard Java platforms, e.g., J2SETM and J2EETM. This paper defines a set of criteria by which persistence mechanisms may be compared and then applies the criteria to a representative set of widely used mechanisms. The criteria are evaluated in the context of a widely-known benchmark, which was ported to each of the mechanisms, and include performance and scalability results. email address: [email protected] © 2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All rights reserved. The SML Technical Report Series is published by Sun Microsystems Laboratories, of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Printed in U.S.A. Unlimited copying without fee is permitted provided that the copies are not made nor distributed for direct commercial advantage, and credit to the source is given. Otherwise, no part of this work covered by copyright hereon may be reproduced in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or storage in an information retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. TRADEMARKS Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Java, JCP, JVM, JDBC, JDK, J2EE, J2SE, Java Data Objects, EJB, Forte, RMI , and Solaris are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. All SPARC trademarks are used under license and are trademarks or registered trademarks of SPARC International, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based upon an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, exclusively licensed through X/Open Company, Ltd. For information regarding the SML Technical Report Series, contact Jeanie Treichel, Editor-in-Chief .All technical reports are available online on our website, http://research.sun.com/techrep/. A Comparative Study of Persistence Mechanisms for the JavaTM Platform Mick Jordan Sun Microsystems Laboratories 2600 Casey Avenue Mountain View, CA 94043, USA