Scribd
Upload
201 views

A JDBC Driver Is A Software Component Enabling A Java Application To Interact With A Database

There are 4 types of JDBC drivers: 1) Type 1 drivers use the JDBC-ODBC bridge and convert JDBC calls to ODBC. They are platform dependent and have poor performance. 2) Type 2 drivers use the database's native API library and are faster but platform dependent. 3) Type 3 drivers use a middleware layer and are platform independent but add overhead. 4) Type 4 drivers communicate directly with the database using its network protocol, are platform independent, and have the best performance.

Uploaded by

zahiruddin_ahamed
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
201 views

A JDBC Driver Is A Software Component Enabling A Java Application To Interact With A Database

There are 4 types of JDBC drivers: 1) Type 1 drivers use the JDBC-ODBC bridge and convert JDBC calls to ODBC. They are platform dependent and have poor performance. 2) Type 2 drivers use the database's native API library and are faster but platform dependent. 3) Type 3 drivers use a middleware layer and are platform independent but add overhead. 4) Type 4 drivers communicate directly with the database using its network protocol, are platform independent, and have the best performance.

Uploaded by

zahiruddin_ahamed
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 8

A JDBC driver is a software component enabling a Java application to interact with a database.

[1] JDBC drivers are analogous to ODBC drivers, ADO.NET data providers, and OLE DB providers. To connect with individual databases, JDBC (the Java Database Connectivity API) requires drivers for each database. The JDBC driver gives out the connection to the database and implements the protocol for transferring the query and result between client and database.

Type 1 Driver - JDBC-ODBC bridge


he JDBC type 1 driver, also known as the JDBC-ODBC bridge, is a database driver implementation that employs the ODBC driver to connect to the database. The driver converts JDBC method calls into ODBC function calls. The driver is platform-dependent as it makes use of ODBC which in turn depends on native libraries of the underlying operating system the JVM is running upon. Also, use of this driver leads to other installation dependencies; for example, ODBC must be installed on the computer having the driver and the database must support an ODBC driver. The use of this driver is discouraged if the alternative of a pure-Java driver is available. The other implication is that any application using a type 1 driver is non-portable given the binding between the driver and platform. This technology isn't suitable for a high-transaction environment. Type 1 drivers also don't support the complete Java command set and are limited by the functionality of the ODBC driver.
Functions

Translates query obtained by JDBC into corresponding ODBC query, which is then handled by the ODBC driver. Sun provides a JDBC-ODBC Bridge driver. sun.jdbc.odbc.JdbcOdbcDriver. This driver is native code and not Java, and is closed source. Client -> JDBC Driver -> ODBC Driver -> Database

Advantages

Easy to connect. Directly connected to the database.

Disadvantages

Performance overhead since the calls have to go through the jdbc Overhead bridge to the ODBC driver, then to the native db connectivity interface. The ODBC driver needs to be installed on the client machine. Considering the client-side software needed, this is not suitable for applets. Compared to other driver types it's slow.

The Sun driver has a known issue with character encodings and Microsoft Access databases. Microsoft Access may use an encoding that is not correctly translated by the driver, leading to the replacement in strings of, for example, accented characters by question marks. One workaround is to avoid reading strings directly, but rather to read the raw bytes and then translate these into a string, specifying the correct source encoding:

byte[] rawBytes = row.getBytes("COLUMN_NAME"); String columnValue = new String(rawBytes, "Windows-1252");

Type 2 Driver - Native-API Driver specification


The JDBC type 2 driver, also known as the Native-API driver, is a database driver implementation that uses the client-side libraries of the database. The driver converts JDBC method calls into native calls of the database API. The type 2 driver is not written entirely in Java as it interfaces with non-Java code that makes the final database calls. The driver is compiled for use with the particular operating system. For platform interoperability, the Type 4 driver, being a full-Java implementation, is preferred over this driver.

The vendor client library needs to be installed on the client machine. Not all databases have a client side library This driver is platform dependent This driver supports all java applications except Applets

Type 3 Driver - Network-Protocol Driver


The JDBC type 3 driver, also known as the Pure Java Driver for Database Middleware, is a database driver implementation which makes use of a middle tier between the calling program and the database. The middle-tier (application server) converts JDBC calls directly or indirectly into the vendor-specific database protocol. This differs from the type 4 driver in that the protocol conversion logic resides not at the client, but in the middle-tier. Like type 4 drivers, the type 3 driver is written entirely in Java. The same driver can be used for multiple databases. It depends on the number of databases the middleware has been configured to support. The type 3 driver is platform-independent as the platform-related differences are taken care by the middleware. Also, making use of the middleware provides additional advantages of security and firewall access.
[edit] Functions

Follows a three tier communication approach.

Can interface to multiple databases - Not vendor specific. The JDBC Client driver written in java, communicates with a middleware-netserver using a database independent protocol, and then this net server translates this request into database commands for that database. Thus the client driver to middleware communication is database independent. Client -> JDBC Driver -> Network-protocol driver -> Middleware-Net Server -> Any Database,...

[edit] Advantages

Since the communication between client and the middleware server is database independent, there is no need for the vendor db library on the client machine. Also the client to middleware need not be changed for a new database. The Middleware Server (which can be a full fledged J2EE Application server) can provide typical middleware services like caching (connections, query results, and so on), load balancing, logging, auditing etc. Eg. for the above include jdbc driver features in Weblogic. o Can be used in internet since there is no client side software needed. o At client side a single driver can handle any database. (It works provided the middleware supports that database!)

[edit] Disadvantages

Requires database-specific coding to be done in the middle tier. An extra layer added may result in a time-bottleneck. But typically this is overcome by providing efficient middleware services .

Type 4 Driver - Native-Protocol Driver


The JDBC type 4 driver, also known as the Direct to Database Pure Java Driver, is a database driver implementation that converts JDBC calls directly into a vendor-specific database protocol.Therefore it is called a THIN driver. Written completely in Java, type 4 drivers are thus platform independent. They install inside the Java Virtual Machine of the client. This provides better performance than the type 1 and type 2 drivers as it does not have the overhead of conversion of calls into ODBC or database API calls. Unlike the type 3 drivers, it does not need associated software to work. As the database protocol is vendor-specific, the JDBC client requires separate drivers, usually vendor-supplied, to connect to different types of databases.

[edit] Functions

Type 4 drivers, coded entirely in Java, communicate directly with a vendor's database, usually through socket connections. No translation or middleware layers are required, improving performance. The driver converts JDBC calls into the vendor-specific database protocol so that client applications can communicate directly with the database server. Completely implemented in Java to achieve platform independence. This type includes (for example) the widely-used Oracle thin driver oracle.jdbc.driver.OracleDriver which connects using a format configuration of jdbc:oracle:thin:@URL Client -> Native-protocol JDBC Driver -> database server.

[edit] Advantages

These drivers don't translate the requests into an intermediary format (such as ODBC), nor do they need a middleware layer to service requests. This can enhance performance considerably. The JVM can manage all aspects of the application-to-database connection; this can facilitate debugging. Provides a way to manage copies of the database for each user.

Disadvantages

Drivers are database dependent.

Connecting To Access
Example code to connect to Access type of database:

Class.forName("sun.jdbc.odbc.JdbcOdbcDriver");

Connection con = DriverManager.getConnection("Jdbc:Odbc:DsnName");

Connecting To Oracle

Example code to connect to oracle Thick Driver.

Class.forName("sun.jdbc.odbc.JdbcOdbcDriver");

Connection con = DriverManager.getConnection("Jdbc:Odbc:OraDsn","scott","tiger");

Example code to connect to oracle thin driver:

Class.forName("oracle.jdbc.driver.OracleDriver");

Connection con = DriverManager.getConnection("jdbc:oracle: thin:@localhost:1521:orcl","scott","tiger");

Jdbc-Odbc Bridge:may or may not need username, password Jdbc:Odbc:Dsn1 Jdbc:Odbc:Dsn2 Oracle : needs username, password jdbc:oracle:thin:@localhost:1521:orcl jdbc:oracle:oci DB2 : jdbc:db2:mySource Pointbase :

jdbc:pointbase://localhost:5008/Demo Sybase : jdbc:sybase:Tds:localhost:7009/Employee SQL-Server : needs username, password jdbc:weblogic:mssqlserver4:j2ee@localhost:1433

You might also like