Descriptor Types

Table 26-1 lists the descriptor types you use to describe the classes in your object model and classifies them as basic or advanced.

Table 26-1 TopLink Descriptor Types

Descriptor Type	Description	Type	TopLink Workbench	Java
"Relational Descriptors"	Describes Java objects that you map to tables in a relational database. Applicable to all relational databases that TopLink supports.	Basic
"Object-Relational Descriptors"	Describes Java objects that you map to tables in a relational database that provides special database data types that correspond more closely to object types. Applicable only to the relational databases that TopLink supports that provide these special data types.	Advanced
"EIS Descriptors"	Describes Java objects that you map to an EIS data source by way of a J2C adapter.	Basic
"XML Descriptors"	Describes Java objects that you map, in memory, to complex types in XML documents defined by an XML schema document (XSD).	Basic

For more information, see the following:

• Chapter 27, "Creating a Descriptor"

• Chapter 28, "Configuring a Descriptor"