HQL delete associations from many to many mapping

Question

I Have two entities CRImageType & CRVariable with a many to many relation as follows:

CRImageType entity:

@Entity
@Table(name = "imageviewer_crimagetype")
public class CRImageType implements Serializable   {
    private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;

    @Id
    @GeneratedValue
    @Column(name = "ImTypeId")
    private Long imTypeId;

    @Column(name = "ImTypeName")
    private String imTypeName;

    @Column(name = "ImTypeDescription")
    private String imTypeDescription;

    @ManyToMany(cascade = {CascadeType.ALL})
    @JoinTable(name="imageviewer_imtype_variable", 
    joinColumns={@JoinColumn(name="ImTypeId")}, 
    inverseJoinColumns={@JoinColumn(name="VarId")})
    private Set<CRVariable> crvariables = new HashSet<CRVariable>();

CRVariable entity:

@Entity
@Table(name = "imageviewer_crvariable")
public class CRVariable implements Serializable   {

    private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;

    @Id
    @GeneratedValue
    @Column(name = "VarId")
    private Long varId;

    @Column(name = "VarName")
    private String varName;

    @Column(name = "VarDescription")
    private String varDescription;

    @ManyToMany(mappedBy="crvariables")
    private Set<CRImageType> crimagetypes = new HashSet<CRImageType>();

In my database the relation is mapped by two tables "imageviewer_crimagetype" & "imageviewer_crvariable" and a third one "imageviewer_imtype_variable" for their many to many relation.

I would like only to DELETE association records from table "imageviewer_imtype_variable". How can be done using an HQL query since i can not directly access "imageviewer_imtype_variable table.

I would like the HQL equivalent of an SQL query like

delete from imageviewer_imtype_variable where ImTypeId='%%%'

Answer 1

This is JPA, not Hibernate specifically. The fact that you have a standardized API on top here makes it easier to find answers if you search in the context of the API, not the implementation.

The way to do it (as far as I remember, I don't use many to many relationships that often) is to remove the related entities from each other's collection mapping fields. So if you have EntityA and EntityB, you remove EntityA from EntityB and EntityB from EntityA. The persistence provider should then be triggered to remove the record from the join table.

Native queries should only be a last resort IMO.