Java and the Database (JDBC)

Abstract

The data in Java programs does not last beyond a single run of a program. Most applications require some more persistent storage of state than this, and in most cases we will use a database. While streaming data to and from a sequential file can be useful in some contexts, it does not allow the querying, performance, availability, and accessibility of database storage. Therefore, we need to know how to get data in and out of a database so we can use it in our applications. Although there are several different types of database available, including hierarchical, object-oriented, and XML, most current commercial databases are relational. The focus of this chapter is on how to bridge between the table schemas of a relational database and Java code using JDBC (Java Database Connectivity).