Both an introduction to the theoretical aspects of automated object/relational mapping and a practical guide to the use of Hibernate, this book provides extensive example code to implement an online auction application. The book is divided into two parts. Part I discusses object persistence, the object/relational mismatch problem and emphasizes the importance of Plain Old Java Objects. It introduces Hibernate and explains the basic theoretical foundations of object/relational mapping. Part II is dedicated to demonstrating more advanced ORM concepts and techniques, with practical examples using Hibernate. Hibernate's developer toolset is demonstrated and best practices are recommended.