By Barry Nance
(Open Database Connectivity) and JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) are types of database access middleware. From a network administrator's point of view, they consist of client and server driver software (i.e., program files). From a programmer's point of view, they are APIs that the programmer inserts in his or her software to store and retrieve database content. While a system analyst perceives ODBC or JDBC as a conceptual connection between the application and the database, database vendors regard ODBC and JDBC as ways to entice customers who say they want to use industry standard interfaces rather than proprietary ones. And managers of data processing departments view ODBC and JDBC as insurance--interfaces that offer managers some measure of flexibility should they find it necessary to replace one database product with another.
In this chapter of Network Computing's Network Design Manual, you'll look at ODBC and JDBC from each of these perspectives. You'll learn why ODBC and JDBC are important, understand how these interfaces work and determine how your organization can best use ODBC and JDBC.
To access a database, applications can choose from a confusing array of methods-ODBC, JDBC, OLE DB, ADO, DAO, RDO, Oracle Objects for OLE, gateways, proprietary native call APIs, such as OCI or DBLib, data-aware components and a variety of other solutions. Because ODBC and JDBC are platform- and database-neutral standards many vendors support, this chapter focuses just on ODBC and JDBC.
Barry Nance, a computer analyst and consultant for 25 years, is the author of Introduction to Networking, 4th Edition (Que, 1997), Using OS/2 Warp (Que, 1994), and Client/Server LAN Programming (Que, 1994). You can reach him via the Internet at barryn@erols.com.
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Related Middleware Links
Examining The Network Performance Of JDBC
Not Your Grandpa's Data-Access Tools
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