Transforming UML models into Java Persistence API entities

You can use the UML-to-JPA transformation to generate Java Persistence API (JPA) entities and Java code from Unified Modeling Language (UML) model elements. You should be familiar with the UML-to-Java and UML-to-EJB 3.0 transformations before you run the UML-to-JPA transformation.

About this task

You can use this transformation in both of the following round-trip-engineering (RTE) scenarios:
  • Transform a UML model into code, change the code, and then transform the changed code into UML (model-code-model)

    By default, the IBM® Rational® modeling products support this scenario.

  • Transform existing JPA entities and Java code into a UML model, change the model, and then transform the changed model into Java code (code-model-code)
    To use this transformation in a code-model-code scenario, which begins by running the JPA-to-UML transformation, you must link the existing JPA entities and Java code elements to the UML model elements in the model that the JPA-to-UML transformation generates. This linking adds annotations and comments to the code so that the UML-to-JPA transformation can propagate the UML changes to the JPA entities and Java code, and preserve existing method bodies. You should link the elements before you modify the recently added model elements and run the UML-to-JPA transformation. After you link the elements, subsequent transformations merge as you expect.
    Note: To link the code elements to the UML model elements, on the Main page of the UML-to-JPA transformation configuration, click Link Java to UML.

    For more information about this scenario and merging changes when you develop Java Persistence API entities and UML, see the related concept topic below. Although this related topic describes the workflow for the Java transformations, the workflow is the same for the UML-to-JPA and JPA-to-UML transformations.


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