New Java development tool from Oracle

Oracle Corporation has released an updated version of the TopLink Java development tool it recently acquired from WebGain, but which is now built in to the Oracle9i Application Server (AS).

TopLink is a Java-to-database integration product which includes object-relational mapping. It provides a robust, feature-rich framework that can be re-used on multiple projects. TopLink is in production worldwide in industries such as aerospace, automotive, banking, e-commerce, health care, insurance, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, system integration, and transportation logistics.

Dubbed Oracle9i AS TopLink 9.0.3, it features support for Oracle9i AS connection-pooling technology, which enables multiple connections to a server.

Other key benefits of the new release include enhanced performance with caching technology designed to minimise database and network traffic while leveraging JDBC databases and resource optimisations.

"These allow development teams to streamline the development process and focus on building the application, not the infrastructure," says Francois Marais, product manager at Oracle SA.

In a related announcement, Oracle released a "road map" pledging continued TopLink support for competitors` databases and for third-party application servers, including BEA WebLogic and IBM WebSphere.

Support is also provided for databases such as IBM DB2 and Microsoft SQL Server as well as Sybase and Informix offerings.

"Oracle`s road map answers key questions from the developer community concerning the implications of the launch and Oracle`s position regarding its continued support for third-party products," says Bev Scott, ISV channel manager at Oracle SA.

She adds that Oracle customers will be able to benefit immediately, by obtaining the TopLink technology - a built-in feature of Oracle9i AS - as a separate licensable component, and as part of a developers edition that can be downloaded free-of-charge.

Marais describes TopLink as a persistence framework, incorporating a toolset and code, that will facilitate the building of Java applications to function more effectively with relational databases.

"The tool makes applications run faster while cutting development time significantly," he says.

Looking to the future, Marais says enhancements in the pipeline include support for direct access to data sources besides relational databases, including Web services and XML documents and files.

"Web services are an increasingly important source of information as more data is exposed as Web services," he says. "In line with this, the TopLink framework will evolve to enable the aggregation of data from multiple relational and non-relational information sources into a common object model.

"Services will be provided such as XML caching, XML query and data transformation," he adds.