Hibernate ORM Mapping: Object Relationships

In Hibernate, Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) is the process of defining the mapping relationship between the object model and the relational database model as a document. This allows developers to interact with the database in an object-oriented way without having to worry about the details of the underlying database.

Object relational mapping in Hibernate can be defined either using mapping files or annotations. Mapping files are XML files that describe the mapping between Java classes and database tables, including mapping of properties to fields and relationships. Annotations, on the other hand, are used within Java classes to define mapping relationships, such as @Entity, @Table, and @Column annotations.

Hibernate offers various mapping strategies including single table inheritance, multiple table inheritance, composite relationships, one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-one, many-to-many relationship mappings. Developers can choose the appropriate mapping strategy based on their actual requirements to define object relationship mappings.

In general, Hibernate’s object-relational mapping allows developers to define the mapping relationship between Java object model and relational database model as a document, making it easy for developers to interact with the database without worrying about the underlying database details.