[b]Hibernate version:3.0[/b]

I have some objects with NOT NULL constraint on them.
When a query happens, the system tries to flush the dirty objects to the database before answering the query and raising an exception because of the not null constraints.

My understanding of the options are as follows: I can either set the FlushMode=COMMIT, which will result in stale data, and -I presume- will not incorporate any new objects i have created in memory, OR get rid of the NOT NULL constraints all together, and enforce them only in my Java API. Both options have obvious issues.
Can anyone recommend an alternate solution?
Thanks,
Kagan

Just to be clear:
- I would like to enforce the not null constraints at commit time, but don't mind having null values during the flush, since those validation errors will likely be fixed in subsequent operations within the transaction, or else the entire transaction will fail.

Also: does anyone have any input on performance implications on auto-flush behavior for short transactions. Any locking/concurrency issues that we have to be aware of as a result of auto-flush?
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I have some objects with NOT NULL constraint on them.
When a query happens, the system tries to flush the dirty objects to the database before answering the query and raising an exception because of the not null constraints.

My understanding of the options are as follows: I can either set the FlushMode=COMMIT, which will result in stale data, and -I presume- will not incorporate any new objects i have created in memory, OR get rid of the NOT NULL constraints all together, and enforce them only in my Java API. Both options have obvious issues.
Can anyone recommend an alternate solution?
Thanks,
Kagan

Which database are you using? Oracle allows you to define your database constraints as "deferred", such that they are only checked at (database) commit time.

thanks for the hint.
is there a way to set oracle's constraint policy within hibernate during schema export, or is it something we should do outside of hibernate, within oracle?

You need to perform this within Oracle.

Also note that there is a connection-level setting you need to set to get oracle to defer constraint checking (the name of it escapes me at the moment) in addition to marking the constraints as defer-able.

you can disable constraint, for example

alter table my_table disable constraint my_table_constraint
/

You can view user_constraints and it is easy make procedure for disable/enable all constraints
for table or scema/user

it is similar for trigger, too
regards