15 Mapping JPA to XML

This chapter describes how to use JPA with the Java Architecture for XML Binding (JAXB)—the Java EE standard for mapping POJOs (Plain Old Java Objects) to XML—and its Mapping Objects to XML (MOXy) extensions to map JPA entities to XML. Mapping JPA entities to XML is useful when you want to create a data access service with Java API for RESTful Web Services (JAX-RS), Java API for XML Web Services (JAX-WS), or Spring.

This chapter contains the following topics:

• Introduction to the Solution

• Binding JPA Entities to XML

• Mapping Simple Java Values to XML Text Nodes

• Using XML Metadata Representation to Override JAXB Annotations

• Using XPath Predicates for Mapping

• Using Dynamic JAXB/MOXy

• Additional Resources

Use Case

Users need to map JPA entities to XML.

Solution

EclipseLink provides support for the JAXB standard through EclipseLink MOXy extensions.

Components

• EclipseLink 2.4 or later.

• XML document

Sample

See the following EclipseLink and JAXB examples for related information:

• http://wiki.eclipse.org/EclipseLink/Examples/MOXy

• http://java.sun.com/developer/technicalArticles/WebServices/jaxb/index.html