CMP Persistence vs. Java DatabaseControl + XMLBean

Question

I am trying to understand when to use a CMP Entity Bean vs. creating a JAVA database control and mapping the table fields to an XML bean. Is there a short answer? Is there reference material I could read up on?
1. Which is easiest to develop?
2. Which is easiest to use?
3. Which is most flexible?
4. Which is easiest to maintain?
Thanks

Answer 1

I am trying to understand when to use a CMP Entity
Bean vs. creating a JAVA database control and mapping
the table fields to an XML bean. Is there a short
answer? Is there reference material I could read up
on?
Speaking from my own experience of using db controls and entity beans (not XML beans) I generaly use dbcontrols for read only operations or when developing in a hurry:
1. Which is easiest to develop?If your using workshop there isn't much difference although once you create an EJB workshop handles generating the table, with a db control you have to do this your self (amd write all the sql for CRUDs), otherwise is mostly a case of right click and add methods, fields, properties etc. Of course there is no deployment descriptor with a db control. In a recent proof of concept I used a db control as I thought it was slightly faster to put together, although now I would probably just use a CMP bean.
With a bean you are also forced to use finder methods, a good thing as you get rid of all those null pointer exceptions and tests for empty result sets.
2. Which is easiest to use?DB control will be easier to use once its written there is less to configure, but again I don't think CMP beans are much harder and because you are forced to handle exceptions your code will be more robost.
3. Which is most flexible?To wide a question for me.
4. Which is easiest to maintain?If you look at it in simple terms a db control is easier to maintain, I guess db controls are simple to use and maintain because they should be used to meet simple requirements.
Hope this helps (waiting for the inevitable storm of disagreement ;) )