Database programming

G'day /prog/

I'm writing a java application with a mysql db backend (indeed, performance is not what I'm after), but I'm struggling a bit. How does one go about saving data? Do you execute an update query whenever a class representing a table is changed, or would there be an interval? Or am I going about this entirely wrong?
Your advice will be greatly appreciated.

JPA (TopLink/Hibernate implementations) is truly a pain in the ass. Enjoy trying to migrate from one persistence unit to a new one... because there's no formal way to do this. Persistence is nice in languages like ruby, but in Java it can be a real pain in the ass. The ONLY reason I see to use a persistence layer is if you want to do some continuous query web 3.0 shit. In the real Enterprise, you normally pick a dbms and stick with it, so it should really not be a matter of staying db agnostic.

Just pick a solid dbms (not MySQL... try postgresql) and go with that. The most you should consider is mapping SQL result sets to POJOs.

>>16
Hello, >>13 here.

>>15 is actually spot on. I joked about it being a solution due to its truly epic ENTERPRISE nature--layers upon layers upon layers of abstraction, dependencies, and quirky undocumented limitations. There's a reason they offer paid support for it--because you usually really fucking need it. It's best environment is for massive databases that deal with serious mission critical tasks. If you just have a few tables to mess around with, pretty much anything is a better solution.

But if as you say, you just want to learn, then Hibernate can be a powerful tool under your belt. Most are driven insane before it is ever really mastered.