Java Database Connectivity

Object Oriented and Event Driven Programming

1
 Objectives
• In this lecture, we will
– JDBC Concepts
– Steps during execution of JDBC Application
– JDBC Component Interaction
– Steps Involved in Basic JDBC Operations
– Two-Tier Database Access Model
– JDBC Driver Types
– Driver Manager,Connection Object,DSN-less Connection
– Statement Object
– ResultSet Object
– Accessing Data in a ResultSet
– Getting MetaData for a ResultSet
 Java Database Connectivity (JDBC)

• JDBC – provides an interface to Relational Data Sources

• JDBC library provides the means for executing SQL statements to access
and operate on a relational database

• JDBC library is implemented in the java.sql package

– Set of classes and interfaces that provide a uniform API for access to
broad range of databases
 Talking to Databases
• A JDBC based application is insulated from the characteristics of specific
database engines

Java Application

JDBC

Access Oracle Sybase

Database Database Database
 Open Database Connectivity (ODBC)
• is a standard C programming language middleware API for accessing
database management systems (DBMS).

• an application written using ODBC can be ported to other platforms,

• ODBC accomplishes DBMS independence by using an ODBC driver as a

translation layer between the application and the DBMS.

• The application uses ODBC functions through an ODBC driver manager

with which it is linked, and the driver passes the query to the DBMS.
 JDBC Concepts
• JDBC’s design is very similar to the design of ODBC

• Driver Manager
– Loads database drivers, and manages the connection between the
application and the driver

• Driver
– Translates API calls into operations for a specific data source

• Connection
– A session between an application and a database
 JDBC Concepts (contd.)

• Statement
– An SQL Statement to perform a query or update operation

• Metadata
– Information about returned data, the database and the driver

• ResultSet
– Logical set of columns and rows returned by executing an SQL
statement (resulting tuples)
 Steps during execution
• The following steps are executed when running a JDBC
application
– Import the necessary classes
– Load the JDBC driver
– Identify the database source
– Allocate a “connection” object (create)
– Allocate a “Statement” object (create)
– Execute a query using the “Statement” object
– Retrieve data from the returned “ResultSet” object
– Close the “ResultSet” object
– Close the “Statement” object
– Close the “Connection” object
 JDBC Component Interaction

Driver Creates Connection Creates Creates

Manager Statement ResultSet

SQL

Driver
Establish
Link to DB Result
(tuples)

Database
 Steps Involved in Basic JDBC
OperationsDriver Manager

1. Load the JDBC driver class: Driver

Class.forName(“driverName”);

2. Open a database connection:

DriverManager.getConnection Connection Database
(“jdbc:xxx:datasource”);

3. Issue SQL statements:

stmt = con.createStatement(); Statement
stmt.executeQuery (“Select * from myTable”);

4. Process result set:

while (rs.next()) {
name = rs.getString(“name”);
Result Set
amount = rs.getInt(“amt”); }
Two-Tier Database Access Model
• Java Application talks directly to
the database Application Space

• Accomplished through the JDBC

driver which sends commands Java Application
directly to the database

• Results sent back directly to the JDBC Driver

application

SQL Result
Command Set

Database
 JDBC Driver Types
• JDBC-ODBC Bridge, plus ODBC driver (Type 1)
– Simplest
– JDBC methods -> Translate JDBC methods to ODBC methods -> ODBC
to native methods -> Native methods API

• Native-API, partly Java driver (Type 2)

– JDBC methods -> Map JDBC methods to native methods (calls to
vendor library) -> Native methods API (vendor library)

• JDBC-net, pure Java driver (Type 3)

– JDBC methods -> Translate to Native API methods through TCP/IP
network -> Native API methods

• Native-protocol, pure Java driver (Type 4)

– Java methods -> Native methods in Java
Type 1: JDBC-ODBC Bridge, Plus
ODBC Driver
Application Space
• This driver type is provided by Sun
with JDK Java Application

• Provides JDBC access to databases

JDBC – ODBC Bridge
through ODBC drivers

SQL Result
• ODBC driver must be configured for Command Set
the bridge to work
ODBC Driver
• Only solution if no JDBC driver
available for the DBMS Proprietary
Protocol

Database
Type 2: Native-API, Partly Java Driver
• Native-API driver converts JDBC
Application Space
commands into DBMS-specific
native calls
Java Application

• Same restrictions as Type1 –

must have some binary code Type 2 JDBC Driver
loaded on its machine
SQL Result
• Directly interfaces with the Command Set
database Native Database
Library

Proprietary
Protocol

Database
Type 3: JDBC-Net, Pure Java Driver
• Translates JDBC calls into a database- Application Space
independent network protocol and
sent to a middleware server. Java Application

• This server translates this DBMS-

independent protocol into a DBMS- Type 3 JDBC Driver
specific protocol and sent to the
database SQL Result
Command Set
• Results sent back to the middleware Middleware Space
and routed to the client JDBC Driver

Proprietary
Protocol

Database
Type 4: Native-Protocol, Pure
Java Driver
• Pure Java drivers that communicate Application Space
directly with the vendor’s database

Java Application
• JDBC commands converted to
database engine’s native protocol
directly
Type 4 JDBC Driver
• Advantage: no additional translation
or middleware layer
SQL Command Result Set
• Improves performance Using Proprietary Using Proprietary
Protocol Protocol

Database
 Driver Manager
• The DriverManager class is responsible for establishing connections to
the data sources, accessed through the JDBC drivers

• The driver can be loaded explicitly by calling the static method

“forName” in the “Class” class and pass the driver argument
– Eg: Class.forName(“sun.jdbc.odbc.JdbcOdbcDriver”);

• The “forName()” method can throw a “ClassNotFoundException” if

the driver class is not found. Hence, this function call should be in a
try-catch block
 Connection Object
• Creating a connection to a data source
• Connection object represents an established connection to a particular
data source
• A connection object can also be used to query the data source (data and
meta data)
• Different versions of getConnection() method contained in the
DriverManager class that returns a connection object:
– Connection myconn = DriverManager.getConnection(source);
– Connection myconn = DriverManager.getConnection(source,
username, password);
– Example System DSN name – ODBC data source

String mysource = “jdbc:odbc:technical_library”;

Connection myconn = DriverManager.getConnection(mysource);
 DSN-less Connection
• Making a connection to the database without having to specify the
DSN variable at the system level

• Explicitly specify a connection string

• Should be exactly the same as shown below except the name of the
database and its path
String source =
"jdbc:odbc:Driver={Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb)};DBQ=movies_vj.mdb";
con = DriverManager.getConnection(source);

•Database name, should be in the same directory as the class

•Can also specify absolute path
 Statement Object
• Provides workspace for creating an SQL query, execute it, and retrieve
the results that are returned

• Statement objects are created by calling the createStatement() method

of a valid connection object

• Used to execute an SQL query by calling the executeQuery() method of

Statement object

• The SQL query string is passed as argument to the executeQuery()

method
Statement mystatement = myconn.createStatement();
ResultSet myresults = mystatement.executeQuery(“select * from authors”);

• The result of executing the query is returned as on object of type

“ResultSet”
 ResultSet Object
• The results of executing an SQL query are returned in the form
of an object that implements the ResultSet interface
• ResultSet object contains a “cursor” that points to a particular
record (called the current record)
• When the ResultSet object is created, the cursor points to the
position immediately preceeding the first record
• Several methods available to navigate the ResultSet by moving
the cursor
– first(), last(), beforeFirst(), afterLast(), next(), previous(),
etc. //returns true if the move is successful
– isFirst() //whether you reached the beginning of the ResultSet
– isLast() // whether you reached the end of the ResultSet
 Accessing Data in a ResultSet
• We can retrieve the value of any column for the current row (specified by
the cursor) by name or position
– Using Name: authorNames.getString(“lastname”);

Name of the Method that returns Name of the

ResultSet the value of String column or attribute
– Using Position: authorNames.getString(2);
Second column in the row or tuple
– Using the column position is a little bit faster
• Methods for Retrieving Column Data
– getString(), getInt(), getShort(), getFloat(), getDouble(), getTime() etc.
• We can always use getString() method for numerical values if we are not
going to do some computations
• Column names are NOT case sensitive
• ResultSetMetaData object has metadata information about records, I.e.,
column names, data types etc.
Getting MetaData for a ResultSet
• The ResultSetMetaData object encapsulates the metadata for a
ResultSet object
• Use getMetaData() method of ResultSet object to get the metadata
• Some of the methods of ResultSetMetaData object:
– getColumnName() // returns column name
– getColumnType() // returns column data type
– getColumnCount() // # of columns in the row
– getTableName() //returns the name of the table
– getColumnLabel() //suggested label for a column
for use in printouts
• The Types class in java.sql package contains the field types used in
SQL
– Eg: CHAR, VARCHAR, DOUBLE, INT, TIME etc.
• Once we know the SQL data type, then we can call the appropriate
getXXX() function for getting the value of that column
 Question and Answer Session

Q&A

Slide 16 (of 17)