Shades is an Object/Relational Mapping (ORM) framework that works in conjunction with JDBC APIs. Instead of relying on XML or annotations for configuration, Shades relies on an interface called ORMapping. This makes shades simple and flexible. Shades has no new transaction model nor Connection management which you must learn. You control the transactions, and the Connection that Shades uses, through plain JDBC interfaces. Shades is designed to work well with modern web development frameworks like Tapestry and Wicket.