title: JPA Enum ORDINAL vs STRING
body: <p>It's possible to define enumerations in JPA using either</p>
  
  <pre><code>@Enumerated(EnumType.ORDINAL)
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>or</p>
  
  <pre><code>@Enumerated(EnumType.STRING)
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I wonder what are advantages and disadvantages of those two definitions? </p>
  
  <p>I heard that ORDINAL performs better (is faster) than STRING with EclipseLink.<br>
  Is that true?</p>