JPA 2 was released in December 2009. The release includes the following new features:

  • Standardize useful properties (hints, caching)
  • Fill in ORM mapping gaps
  • Make object modeling more flexible
  • Offer simple cache control abstraction
  • Allow advanced locking settings
  • Provide more hooks for vendor properties
  • Add API for better tooling support
  • Enhance JP QL query language
  • Support Java API based query language
  • Integrate with established validation standards

Mike Keith of Oracle has an excellent presentation on the new features of JPA 2. Mike is an authority on subject and is a member of the JPA JCP Expert Group. Mike is also the author of Pro JPA 2: Mastering the Java Persistence API (Apress).

Additional Resources

JSR 317: Java Persistence 2.0