The Java Data Objects (JDO) industry standard appears to provide a promising framework for persisting Java objects in an efficient way. Many experts even regard JDO as a more appropriate approach to persistence management in J2EE-based enterprise application environments than the built-in Entity Bean components, which are an integrated part of the J2EE set of APIs. In this paper, we present a critical analysis of JDO in the context of J2EE and compare it with Entity Beans using bean-managed and container-managed persistence. The analysis is based on literature research, practical experience, and the results of performance measurements in an exemplary experimental setup.