<hibernate-mapping>

    <class   name="org.ecomfuse.model.Category"
            table="category">
      ...
     <many-to-one
               name="parentCategory"
                       column="parent_category_id"
                   cascade="none"
                   outer-join="false">
        </many-to-one>
       ...
</hibernate-mapping>       

   
public void testParentCategoryNoneCascade() throws Exception {
       
    Category category = dao.getCategory(new Long(1));
    Category parentCategory = dao.getCategory(new Long(4));
   
    assertNull( category.getParentCategory());

    category.setParentCategory(parentCategory);

    dao.saveCategory(category);

    hibernateTemplate.flush();
    hibernateTemplate.clear();

    Category retrievedCategory = dao.getCategory(new Long(1));
   
    // I would have expected assert below to be null but apparently
    // this is not the case
    assertNotNull( retrievedCategory.getParentCategory());
   
}

/**
  * Tests to verify the cascade="none" mapping behaviour of parent property
  * such that modifying the properties of a parent category retrieved from
  * a category, then save the category will have no effect to parent
  * category
  *
  * @throws Exception
*/
public void testParentCategoryNoneCascade() throws Exception {
       
       
        sessionFactory = hibernateTemplate.getSessionFactory();
        session = SessionFactoryUtils.getNewSession(sessionFactory);
        Transaction tr = session.beginTransaction();
       
        Category category = dao.getCategory(new Long(2));
        Category parentCategory = category.getParentCategory();
       
        // Call below doesn't detach persistent objects. parentCategory still got persisted
        // hibernateTemplate.flush();
       
        // Detach parentCategory so 'dirty checking' will not persist parentCategory's state
        session.evict(parentCategory);
       
        parentCategory.setName("cake");

        dao.saveCategory(category);
       
        tr.commit();
        session.close();
       
         Category retrievedParentCategory = dao.getCategory(new Long(4));
         String parentCategoryName = retrievedParentCategory.getName();
         log.warn("retrievedParentCategory name: " + parentCategoryName);
         
         // Proves that parentCategory is not persisted due to cascade="none"
         assertFalse( parentCategoryName.equals("cake"));

    }