Java Tutorial/Database/JDBC Driver

Loading a JDBC Driver: Using Class.forName()

   <source lang="java">

String className = "org.gjt.mm.mysql.Driver"; Class driverObject = Class.forName(className);</source>

To test a JDBC driver installation using MySQL

   <source lang="java">

public class MainClass {

 public static void main(String[] args) {
   try {
     String className = "org.gjt.mm.mysql.Driver";
     Class driverObject = Class.forName(className);
     System.out.println("driverObject=" + driverObject);
     System.out.println("your installation of JDBC Driver OK.");
   } catch (Exception e) {
     System.out.println("Failed: JDBC Driver Error: " + e.getMessage());
   }
 }

}</source>

To test a JDBC driver installation using Oracle

   <source lang="java">

public class MainClass {

 public static void main(String[] args) {
   try {
     String className = "oracle.jdbc.driver.OracleDriver";
     Class driverObject = Class.forName(className);
     System.out.println("driverObject=" + driverObject);
     System.out.println("your installation of JDBC Driver OK.");
   }
   catch (Exception e) {
     System.out.println("Failed: JDBC Driver Error: " + e.getMessage());
   }
 }

}</source>

Using DriverManager.registerDriver()

   <source lang="java">

//String className = "org.gjt.mm.mysql.Driver"; try {

  // Registers the given driver with the DriverManager.
  DriverManager.registerDriver(new org.gjt.mm.mysql.Driver());
  // here the class is loaded

} catch (SQLException e) {

  e.printStackTrace();

}</source>

What is a JDBC Driver?

1. A JDBC driver allows a Java application/client to communicate with a SQL database.
2. A JDBC driver is a Java class that implements the JDBC"s java.sql.Driver interface.
3. A JDBC driver converts program (and typically SQL) requests for a particular database.

What is JDBC?

JDBC is a set of programming APIs that allows easy connection to a wide range of databases (especially relational databases) through Java programs. (JDBC Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach by Mahmoud Parsian Apress 2005)

The following are core JDBC classes, interfaces, and exceptions in the java.sql package:

1. DriverManager
2. Connection
3. Statement
4. PreparedStatement
5. CallableStatement
6. ResultSet
7. SQLException