1. JDBC

2. In This Class We Will Cover: What SQL is What ODBC is What JDBC is JDBC basics Introduction to advanced JDBC topics

3. SQL SQL is a standardized language used to create, manipulate, examine, and manage relational databases. We will not extensively cover SQL, although a very basic SQL Primer and SQL Resources are provided.SQL PrimerSQL Resources

4. SQL However, you should understand the following: –A database is essentially a smart container for tables. –A table is a container comprised of rows. –A row is (conceptually) a container comprised of columns. –A column is a single data item having a name, type, and value.

5. SQL While you should review the definitions and understand the important differences, initially you can use the following analogs: –A database approximates a file system; –a table approximates a file; –a row approximates a record or structure; –and a column approximates a field or variable.

6. SQL A single SQL statement can be very expressive and can initiate high-level actions, such as sorting and merging, on an entire set of data. SQL was standardized in 1992 so that a program could communicate with most database systems without having to change the SQL commands. However, you must connect to a database before sending SQL commands, and each database vendor has a different interface to do so, as well as different extensions of SQL. Enter ODBC.

7. ODBC ODBC (Open Database Connectivity), a C-based interface to SQL-based database engines, provides a consistent interface for communicating with a database and for accessing database metadata (information about the database system vendor, how the data is stored, and so on). Individual vendors provide specific drivers or "bridges" to their particular database management system. Consequently, thanks to ODBC and SQL, you can connect to a database and manipulate it in a standard way. It is no surprise that, although ODBC began as a PC standard, it has become nearly an industry standard.

8. ODBC Although SQL is well-suited for manipulating databases, it was not designed to be a general application language; rather, it was intended to be used only as a means of communicating with databases. Another more general and complete programming language is needed to host and feed SQL statements to a database and process results for data manipulation, visual display, or report generation. Unfortunately, you cannot easily write a program that will run on multiple platforms, even though the database connectivity standardization issue has been largely resolved. For example, if you wrote a database client in C++, you might have to totally rewrite the client for another platform; that is to say, your PC version would not run on a Macintosh. Enter the Java programming language and JDBC.

9. JDBC A Java program, written properly and according to specification, can run on any Java technology-enabled platform without recompilation. The Java programming language is completely specified and, by definition, a Java technology-enabled platform must support a known core of libraries. One such library is the java.sql package or JDBC, which you can think of as a portable version of ODBC, and is itself a major standard. Using the Java programming language in conjunction with JDBC provides a truly portable solution to writing database applications.

10. JDBC Note: While portable applications and a standard database interface are major achievements, keep in mind that, for historical, competitive, and sometimes nonsensical reasons, the various databases are not completely standardized. This may mean that you have to aim for a lowest common denominator in terms of capabilities or build-in adjustments for specific databases, even on the same platform. This problem remains whether you use standard SQL, ODBC, JDBC, or other solutions.

11. JDBC A JDBC driver is a class that implements the JDBC Driver interface and understands how to convert program (and typically SQL) requests for a particular database. Clearly, the driver is what makes it all work. There are four different driver types, which are discussed in the JDK (Java Development Kit) documentation at JDBC Driver Types. This course uses type 4 drivers because of their nearly zero installation requirements and dynamic nature.JDBC Driver Types Another driver type may make more sense for your particular project. Most database vendors now provide drivers to implement the JDBC API for their particular systems. These are generally provided free of charge. Third party drivers are also available, ranging in cost from free to very expensive. For links to JDBC driver resources, see Specific Information and the other Resources.Specific InformationResources

12. JDBC JDBC 1.0. –The JDBC 1.0 API provided the basic framework for data access, consisting primarily of the following interfaces and classes: Driver. DriverManager. Connection. Statement. PreparedStatement. CallableStatement. ResultSet. DatabaseMetaData. ResultSetMetaData. Types.

13. JDBC As you will see in this course, you pass a Driver to the DriverManager and then obtain a Connection. A Statement, PreparedStatement, or CallableStatement is then created and used to update the database or execute a query. A query returns a ResultSet containing the requested data, which is retrieved by Type. DatabaseMetaData and ResultSetMetaData classes are available to provide information about a database or a ResultSet.

14. JDBC Basics To access a database using JDBC you must: –create a database and establish it as a datasource on your system. –install a database driver. –set up a connection. –execute a statement. –iterate through a result set for queries. –close the connection. Note: –You must exit out of the DBMS to run your program. If you have the db open in Access, your Java program will not be able to access it and it will return an error.

15. Putting It All Together See www2.bc.edu/~bernier/MC697/LectureNotes/JDBCTest.ja va www2.bc.edu/~bernier/MC697/LectureNotes/JDBCTest.ja va

16. Some Advanced JDBC Topics Connection Pooling Callable Statements CLOBS and BLOBS