This document provides a quick reference guide for EJBQL 3.0, including: 1) How to write queries using parameters, perform updates and deletes, use subqueries, ordering, and aggregates. 2) Details on query structure, available where clause methods, and using SQL queries. 3) How to map query results to custom result classes and aliases.

1. EJBQL 3.0 Quick Reference Guide Parameters Optimizations
Parameters can be specified in query strings by placing a Limiting/paging query results:
colon in front of the identifier. (i.e. :param) Return a subset of the results, here, items 10 through 30.
Query q = em.createQuery(...);
Simple parameters: q.setMaxResults(20);
Find all people named “John”. Parameters allow using q.setFirstResult(10);
known data in the query, in this case a String.
Query q = em.createQuery(“select p from “ Flush mode:
+ “Person p where p.firstName=:param”); Set flushes to occur at commit or before query execution. If
q.setParameter(“param”, “John”); the flush mode is set to FlushModeType.COMMIT, changes
List<Person> people = (List<Person>) made during the transaction might not be visible in the
q.getResultList(); query execution results.
Query Structure query.setFlushMode(FlushModeType.AUTO);
Query clauses must be in the specified order. Bulk Update and Delete query.setFlushMode(FlushModeType.COMMIT);
select [distinct] [new] <result> Performed for a single type of entity per statement.
from <identification-variable> Single Result
[[left | inner] join [fetch] <objects to join> ] Update: Specify that only one result is expected and to return only
[where <filter>] Replace nickname Johnny with name John. the single instance instead of a List.
[group by <grouping-clause> ] Query q = em.createQuery(“update Person p “ Query q = em.createQuery(“select distinct p”
[having <filter>] + “set p.firstName = ‘John’ where “ + “ from Person p where p.firstName = “
+ “p.firstName = ‘Johnny’”); + “'UniqueName'“);
[order by <ordering-clause>]
int numUpdates = q.executeUpdate(); Person john = (Person) q.getSingleResult();
update < identification-variable >
Delete: Aggregates, Projections, and Grouping
set < identification-variable.field = new_value >
Delete all those with no children. Delete does not cascade Grouping allows aggregates and projections to be grouped
[where <filter>] Query q = em.createQuery(“delete from “ by a given field and optionally limited using “having”.
+ “Person p where p.children is empty”); Available aggregates are min, max, sum, avg, and count.
delete from < identification-variable > int numDeleted = q.executeUpdate();
[where <filter>]
Simple grouping:
Query Examples Subqueries select avg(p.age) from Person p
The following examples use this sample class and Find the youngest people in the company. group by p.firstName
assume an EntityManager named “em”. select p from Person p where p.age =
@Entity(access=AccessType.FIELD) (select min(p.age) from Person p) Limiting grouping with “having” expression:
public class Person {
@Id private int id; Group by firstName where the firstName starts with “J”.
Find those whose last name is part of a street address. select count(p) from Person p
@Version private long version; select p from Person p where p.lastName in group by p.firstName
private int age; (select a.street from Address a) having lower(p.firstName) like ‘j%’
private String firstName;
private String lastName;
@OneToOne private Address address; Ordering Results EJBQL from JDO
@OneToMany private Set<Person> children; Order query results by age, oldest first. Execute an EJBQL query via the JDO Query interface.
} select p from Person p order by p.age desc Query q = pm.newQuery(
Basic Example kodo.query.QueryLanguages.LANG_EJBQL,
Query q = em.createQuery(“select p from “ Order query results by name, from A to Z, and then by “select p from Person p where ”
+ “Person p where p.firstName=’John’”); age, from oldest to youngest. + “p.address.state = :stateCode”);
List<Person> people = (List<Person>) select p from Person p List<Person> people = (List<Person>)
q.getResultList(); order by p.firstName asc, p.age desc q.execute(“MA”);
for (Person person : people)
log(person.getLastName());
© 2005 SolarMetric, Inc.
Content based upon EJB3.0 public draft http://solarmetric.com/resources/ejbql-quickref.pdf

2. EJBQL 3.0 Quick Reference Guide Where Clause Methods Result Classes and Aliases
The following methods may be used as part of a query You can have query results placed directly into a custom
where clause. For example, “where p.firstName like class. This example uses the custom class Name below.
(‘%ohn%’)” or “where sqrt(p.age) > 6”. public class Name
General is [not] null, {
[not] exists private String first;
Collection size(Collection) private String last;
member [of], public Name(String f, String l) {
[not] in this.first = f;
is [not] empty, this.last = l;
all | any | some }
String [not] like, // ...
concat(String, String), }
SQL Queries
trim([leading | trailing |
Queries can use direct SQL. both] <char to trim> Query q = em.createQuery(“select “
Find people whose first name is “John”. [from] String) + “new com.example.Name(p.firstName, “
Query sql = em.createNativeQuery(“SELECT” lower(String), + “p.lastName) from Person p “
+ “ FIRST, LAST, AGE FROM PERSON” upper(String), + “where p.age > :param”);
+ “ WHERE FIRST = ‘JOHN’”, length(String), List<Name> names = (List<Name>)
com.example.Person.class); locate(String, String[, int q.setParameter(“param”, 30).
List<Person> people = (List<Person>) startpoint]), getResultList();
sql.execute(); substring(int, int) for(Name name : names)
abs(numeric), printLabel(name);
Math
Named Queries sqrt(numeric),
mod(numeric, numeric) Joins
Query definition: Date [not] between
@NamedQuery(name=“minorsByFirstName”, Inner join:
queryString=“select p from Person p Regular Expressions Select all people named John that have children.
where p.age < 18 group by The “like” expression accepts limited wildcard matching. select p from Person p join p.children c
p.firstName”) where p.firstName = ‘John’
_ represents a single character
Use of the keyword ‘inner’ is optional
% represents multiple characters
Use the named query in code:
List<Person> minors = (List<Person>) All people with ‘rick’ in their name – Patrick, Rick, etc.
select p from Person p The prior query is equivalent to this EJB 2.1 query.
em.createNamedQuery( select object(p) from Person p,
where lower(p.firstName) like ‘%rick%’
“minorsByFirstName”).getResultList(); in(p.children) c where p.firstName=‘John’
Where Clause Operators
Keywords = equal (note: can be used with Strings)
Left outer join:
Reserved keywords are not case sensitive. <> not equal
Select the last name of every person and the age of each of
> greater than
his/her children, if any.
select, from, where, update, delete, < less than select p.lastName, c.age from Person p
join, outer, inner, group, by, having, >= greater than or equal left join p.children c
fetch, distinct, object, null, true, <= less than or equal
false, not, and, or, between, like, in, AND conditional AND Fetch join:
as, unknown, empty, member, of, is, avg, OR conditional OR
max, min, sum, count, order, by, asc, Select everyone named John and eagerly fetch information
- subtract or convert sign about any children.
desc, mod, upper, lower, trim, position,
character_length, char_length, + add select distinct p from Person p
bit_length, current_time, current_date, * multiply left join fetch p.children
current_timestamp, new, left, exists, / divide where p.firstName=‘John’
all, any, some, size NOT logical complement
© 2005 SolarMetric, Inc.
Content based upon EJB3.0 public draft http://solarmetric.com/resources/ejbql-quickref.pdf