8. Configuring the Use of JDBC Connections
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## 8. Configuring the Use of JDBC Connections

In its default configuration, OpenJPA obtains JDBC connections on an as-needed basis. OpenJPA `EntityManager`s do not retain a connection to the database unless they are in a datastore transaction or there are open `Query` results that are using a live JDBC result set. At all other times, including during optimistic transactions, `EntityManager`s request a connection for each query, then immediately release the connection back to the pool.

In some cases, it may be more efficient to retain connections for longer periods of time. You can configure OpenJPA's use of JDBC connections through the `openjpa.ConnectionRetainMode` configuration property. The property accepts the following values:

- `always`: Each `EntityManager` obtains a single connection and uses it until the `EntityManager` closes. Great care should be taken when using this property if the application cannot close the EntityManager (i.e. container-managed EntityManagers in a JEE Application Server). In this case the connection will remain open for an undefined time and the application may not be able to recover from a terminated connection (for example, if a TCP/IP timeout severs the connection to the database). For this reason the `always` option should not be used with container-managed EntityManagers.

- `transaction`: A connection is obtained when each transaction begins (optimistic or datastore), and is released when the transaction completes. Non-transactional connections are obtained on-demand.

- `on-demand`: Connections are obtained only when needed. This option is equivalent to the `transaction` option when datastore transactions are used. For optimistic transactions, though, it means that a connection will be retained only for the duration of the datastore flush and commit process.

You can also specify the connection retain mode of individual `EntityManager`s when you retrieve them from the `EntityManagerFactory`. See Section 2.1, “ OpenJPAEntityManagerFactory ” for details.

The `openjpa.FlushBeforeQueries` configuration property controls another aspect of connection usage: whether to flush transactional changes before executing object queries. This setting only applies to queries that would otherwise have to be executed in-memory because the `IgnoreChanges` property is set to false and the query may involve objects that have been changed in the current transaction. Legal values are:

- `true`: Always flush rather than executing the query in-memory. If the current transaction is optimistic, OpenJPA will begin a non-locking datastore transaction. This is the default.

- `false`: Never flush before a query.

- `with-connection`: Flush only if the `EntityManager` has already established a dedicated connection to the datastore, otherwise execute the query in-memory. This option is useful if you use long-running optimistic transactions and want to ensure that these transactions do not consume database resources until commit. OpenJPA's behavior with this option is dependent on the transaction status and mode, as well as the configured connection retain mode described earlier in this section.

The flush mode can also be varied at runtime using the OpenJPA fetch configuration API, discussed in Chapter 9, Runtime Extensions .

The table below describes the behavior of automatic flushing in various situations. In all cases, flushing will only occur if OpenJPA detects that you have made modifications in the current transaction that may affect the query's results.

Table 4.2. OpenJPA Automatic Flush Behavior

| FlushBeforeQueries = false | FlushBeforeQueries = true | FlushBeforeQueries = with-connection; ConnectionRetainMode = on-demand | FlushBeforeQueries = with-connection; ConnectionRetainMode = transaction or always
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
IgnoreChanges = true | no flush | no flush | no flush | no flush
IgnoreChanges = false; no tx active | no flush | no flush | no flush | no flush
IgnoreChanges = false; datastore tx active | no flush | flush | flush | flush
IgnoreChanges = false; optimistic tx active | no flush | flush | no flush unless `flush` has already been invoked | flush

Example 4.11. Specifying Connection Usage Defaults

    <property name="openjpa.ConnectionRetainMode" value="on-demand"/>
    <property name="openjpa.FlushBeforeQueries" value="true"/>

Example 4.12. Specifying Connection Usage at Runtime

    import org.apache.openjpa.persistence.*;

    // obtaining an em with a certain connection retain mode
    Map props = new HashMap();
    props.put("openjpa.ConnectionRetainMode", "always");
    EntityManager em = emf.createEntityManager(props);

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