This Spring-Boot example requires a MariaDB/MySQL DB available on the localhost port 3306. A database named 'Test' should be created and can be populated with tables using the file database.sql located under the resources folder.

1. Build the application with:

   mvn clean install

2. The application can then be executed from the target directory with the command:

   java -jar softdeletejoins-1.0.0-SNAPSHOT.jar

3. Using the swagger interface on http://localhost:8080/swagger-ui.html Employees and Departments can be created:

   POST http://localhost:8080/departments: { "deleted": false, "name": "Physics" }

   POST http://localhost:8080/employees: { "deleted": false, "name": "Dr. No" }

4. Employees can then be associated or dis-associated from a department using the PATCH APIs and providing their DB record ID. Provide the COMPLETE set of IDs that are to be associated with a department. E.g. to first associate Employees ID 1 & 2 provide the memberIds array as [1,2]. To then REMOVE Employee ID #2 provide the array [1]. Inspecting the DEPARTMENT_EMPLOYEE table at this point with reveal a soft-deleted record that associates department #1 with employee #2.There are TWO APIs available so as to demonstrate the hard deletion of join-records.

   Associate Employee ID #1 with Department ID #1:

   PATCH http://localhost:8080/departments/{id}: { "id": 1, "memberIds": [ 1 ] }

5. To demonstrate the hard deletion call the 'harddelete' PATCH API with an empty memberIds array:

   PATCH http://localhost:8080/departments/{id}/harddelete: { "id": 1, "memberIds": [

] }

6. Inspect the DEPARTMENT_EMPLOYEE table and the previous join(s) record between Department and Employee that were marked as NOT deleted are now HARD deleted. This behaviout would appear to be inconsistent with that exhibited in step 4 above.