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# Understanding TopLink Development Tools

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The TopLink runtime provides Java or J2EE applications with access to persistent entities stored in a data source. In addition to run-time capabilities, the TopLink Foundation Library includes the TopLink Application Programming Interface (API). This API enables applications to access TopLink run-time features.

TopLink includes additional development tools that simplify application development. These tools capture mapping and run-time configuration information in metadata files that TopLink passes to the application at run time.

TopLink application development includes the following:

- Development Environment

- TopLink Run-Time Environment

TopLink metadata is the link between the two (see "Understanding TopLink Metadata").

Figure: TopLink Components in Development Lifecycle illustrates how these elements interact with the data source.

TopLink Components in Development Lifecycle

Description of "TopLink Components in Development Lifecycle"