The Definitive Guide to db4o [Hardcover]

Jim Paterson (Author), Stefan Edlich (Author), Henrik Hörning (Author), Reidar Hörning (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 13, 2006

Today's interconnected, information-hungry world demands 24/7 access to information. In order to sate this need, applications such as those found in airport and conference kiosks, and devices such as those found in the mobile, gaming, and medical industries afford consumers data access no matter the location. However the need to process sometimes significant amounts of data through these devices can present a problem; availability cannot come at a tradeoff for performance. Furthermore, the facilities for storing and processing this data must be not only lightweight but also very reliable.

One of the most prominent solutions for managing data found in such applications and devices is db4o, the open source object database native to the Java and .NET platforms.

Highly reliable and scalable, db4o cuts down on both development time and system by smoothly integrating into the system, cutting out the otherwise costly object-relational mapping typical of larger applications. The result is a product used by organizations around the globe, including Boeing, BMW, BOSCH, and Novell.

The Definitive Guide to db4o is the first book to comprehensively cover this project in detail. Readers are briefed on all of the topics necessary to begin using it in production environments, including installation and configuration, querying and managing objects, performing transactions, and data replication. Newcomers to the topic aren't forgotten, as early chapters are devoted to object database fundamentals, in addition to technical considerations and migration strategies. Complete with numerous C# and Java examples, readers will be able to follow along with the examples regardless of their chosen language.

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the reviews:

"The book is a guide to db4o, a tool for building object database management systems. … This well-designed book covers the programming techniques with Java 1.4 and 1.5 and .NET 1.1 and 2.0; the authors also show that db4o supports both Java and C#. The concepts of object-oriented programming are covered well. … The position of db4o in the world of relational data is discussed throughout the book. This makes for interesting reading." (S. Balaraman, ACM Computing Reviews, Vol. 49 (2), February, 2008)

About the Author

Dr. Stefan Edlich is a regular speaker and writer on enterprise and object-oriented topics, and has held numerous IT leadership positions over the past ten years including at one of Germany's largest banks. Stefan is the author of several books on Java technologies, including Ant, Tapestry, Jakarta Commons, and open source J2EE development. He received his Doctorate in Engineering from Technische Universität Berlin in 1995.

Jim Paterson is a Lecturer in Computing at Bell College in the UK. He specialises in web development and object-oriented software and has a particular interest in using new tools in a teaching context. He has a PhD in Physics from Glasgow University, and worked previously as a research physicist and as a software engineer.

Henrik Hörning is the CTO of Biting Bit, author, and independent consultant at T-Systems (German Telecom), specializing in J2EE engineering and the development of mobile applications.

Reidar Hörning is the CEO of Biting Bit, a consultant and developer, and is currently working for a large German insurance company as a J2EE architect and developer.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Apress; 1 edition (June 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590596560
• ISBN-13: 978-1590596562
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,513,612 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book for many purpose, July 24, 2006

By 

Alain Demers "GIS developer" (Quebec Government, wildlife management) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Definitive Guide to db4o (Hardcover)

I used db4o during the last six months. I awaited this book for a long time. It provides much useful information about building applications using the db4o. Instead of the level of technical detail, the book is easy to read.

In the very interesting Part I, the concept of open source native object database is introduced along with little history where object database came from. It also provide some useful background with regard to why the relational data model is not an ideal fit for objects.

Part II step the reader through the processus of building a first db4o application and gives details for the inner working of db4o. The exemples are incrementally skilled with each step in the evolution of an application. It provide a lot detail on the topics covered in the earlier chapters. The chapters 7 through 9 are concerned with making the reader understand what each of the db4o parts actually does and how you can use the various functions to tune the behavior of the peristent part of your object application.

The chapters of the Part III are great reference materials and introduces the readers to the rules you need to keep in mind while you came from RDBMS. It compare db4o features compare to the traditional SQL query-driven application. Comparison between RDBMS and OODBMS is a common theme in each chapter of this book. This Part gives you a new and open mind about persistent data in object application. I am happy that it gives you when RDBMS is good and when OODBMS is better instead of seeking to make me believe that OODBMS is the universal solution (but from my own experience, when objects are complex, it is the only solution). You will understand how db4o features compare to the SQL query-driven approach, how db4o query performes and when it is suitable for your application.

I am happy by this book for two reasons. Firts, it provides much needed high-quality documentation for building fully object oriented applications. I mean object data model with object database. Second, it provides the information in an almost easy-to-understand progressive manner. I learned a lot more about db4o by reading this book, and I also learned a lot about object database in a more general sense. I recommend this book to anybody building an object application and don't want to tediously map objects to database table and depend on a string-based query language to manage and retreive the data.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book, but some stuff is already a little out of date, November 9, 2006

By 

Timothy P. Gebhardt (Hoffman Estates, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Definitive Guide to db4o (Hardcover)

Great book for anyone thinking about using an object database. Db4o is an awesome database to use for your projects. This books is a great way to get yourself in the game. The only thing is that the book is written for version 5.2 and 5.7 is already available for download and the new stuff in 5.7 isn't in the book.

4.0 out of 5 stars An alternative to RDBMS? Maybe..., June 26, 2009

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Sean Feldman (Calgary, Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Definitive Guide to db4o (Hardcover)

Ran into this book accidentally, and glad it happened. Definitely worth reading if you are looking for something that would take you a step beyond the traditional O/R mappers.