Professional Oracle® WebLogic Server

Chapter 3. Designing an Example Java EE Application

In this chapter and the next, we explore the design and construction of a realistic example application. By realistic, we mean an example of sufficient size and complexity that key technology elements are useful and demonstrated in the example. The example also helps you explore decisions you must make during application development in WebLogic Server and provides a context for sidebars and notes on best practices.

This chapter details the design of the presentation tier of a fairly large and complex Java EE application. We cover different topics related to the example program throughout the book. For example, Chapter 4 walks through many of the presentation-tier components and discusses the techniques used in their construction. Chapter 7 details the design and development of the business-tier components and their interaction with the database.

We discuss issues and decisions in roughly the same order they were encountered during the actual design and development of the example application. We begin by examining the system requirements for the example application, a web-based hotel reservation system.

Application Requirements

The example application is a web-based reservation system for hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, and resorts.

Specific requirements include the following:

• The system must provide a user site with a basic property search, pricing, room availability, and reservation capability.

• Property information must be created and maintained ...