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# Understanding TopLink Workbench

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TopLink Workbench is a separate component from the TopLink runtime–it lets you graphically configure descriptors and map your project. TopLink Workbench can verify the descriptor options, access the data source (either a database or an XML schema), and create the database schema. Using TopLink Workbench, you can define TopLink descriptors and configurations without using code.

TopLink Workbench can be used during the development phase of the development process (see "Developing Your Application With TopLink"). Typically, this phase includes the following:

1. Defining an object model (a set of Java classes) to describe and solve your problem.

2. Creating a TopLink Workbench project, importing your Java classes and data sources, and using descriptors to describe how the Java classes map to your data source model.

3. Creating a TopLink session and registering your descriptors. In your application, use the session to retrieve and store objects from and to the data source.

TopLink Workbench creates a `<projectName>``.mwp` file to store all TopLink project information, including object model, descriptor, and session information.

The `<projectName>``.mwp` file is used only by TopLink Workbench. Typically, the only time you need to modify the `<projectName>``.mwp` file is to merge changes during application development by a team of developers ("Merging Files").

Using TopLink Workbench, you export this information into a `project.xml` file that your TopLink enabled application reads at run time.

For more information on using TopLink Workbench as the development environment, see Figure: TopLink Workbench in Development Environment.