Book excerpt: Beginning Hibernate, Second Edition is ideal if you’re experienced in Java with databases (the traditional, or “connected,” approach), but new to open-source, lightweight Hibernate—the de facto object-relational mapping and database-oriented application development framework. This book packs in information about the release of the Hibernate 3.5 persistence layer and provides a clear introduction to the current standard for object-relational persistence in Java. And since the book keeps its focus on Hibernate without wasting time on nonessential third-party tools, you’ll be able to immediately start building transaction-based engines and applications. Experienced authors Dave Minter and Jeff Linwood provide more in-depth examples than any other book for Hibernate beginners. The authors also present material in a lively, example-based manner—not a dry, theoretical, hard-to-read fashion.