Oracle8i JDBC Developer's Guide and Reference Release 3 (8.1.7) Part Number A83724-01 |
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Preface

This preface introduces you to the Oracle8i JDBC Developer's Guide and Reference, discussing the intended audience, structure, and conventions of this document. A list of related Oracle documents is also provided.

## Intended Audience

This manual is intended for anyone with an interest in JDBC programming but assumes at least some prior knowledge of the following:

- Java

- SQL

- Oracle PL/SQL

- Oracle databases

## Document Structure

The Oracle JDBC Developers Guide and Reference contains 21 chapters and one appendix:

Chapter 1, "Overview" | This chapter provides an overview of the Oracle implementation of JDBC and the Oracle JDBC driver architecture.
Chapter 2, "Getting Started" | This chapter introduces the Oracle JDBC drivers and some scenarios of how you can use them. This chapter also guides you through the basics of testing your installation and configuration.
Chapter 3, "Basic Features" | This chapter covers the basic steps in creating any JDBC application. It also discusses additional basic features of Java and JDBC supported by the Oracle JDBC drivers.
Chapter 4, "Overview of JDBC 2.0 Support" | This chapter presents an overview of JDBC 2.0 features and describes the differences in how these features are supported in the JDK 1.2.x and JDK 1.1.x environments.
Chapter 6, "Overview of Oracle Extensions" | This chapter provides an overview of the JDBC extension classes supplied by Oracle.
Chapter 5, "Accessing and Manipulating Oracle Data" | This chapter describes data access using the Oracle datatype formats rather than Java formats.
Chapter 7, "Working with LOBs and BFILEs" | This chapter covers the Oracle extensions to the JDBC standard that let you access and manipulate LOBs and LOB data.
Chapter 8, "Working with Oracle Object Types" | This chapter explains how to map Oracle object types to Java classes by using either standard JDBC or Oracle extensions.
Chapter 9, "Working with Oracle Object References" | This chapter describes the Oracle extensions to standard JDBC that let you access and manipulate object references.
Chapter 10, "Working with Oracle Collections" | This chapter discusses the Oracle extensions to standard JDBC that let you access and manipulate arrays and their data.
Chapter 11, "Accessing PL/SQL Index-by Tables" | This chapter describes special methods to bind and register PL/SQL index-by tables in JDBC.
Chapter 12, "Result Set Enhancements" | This chapter discusses JDBC 2.0 result set enhancements such as scrollable result sets and updatable result sets, including support issues under JDK 1.1.x.
Chapter 13, "Performance Extensions" | This chapter describes Oracle extensions to the JDBC standard that enhance the performance of your applications.
Chapter 14, "Statement Caching" | This chapter describes Oracle extension statements for caching.
Chapter 15, "Connection Pooling and Caching" | This chapter discusses JDBC 2.0 data sources (and their usage of JNDI), connection pooling functionality (a framework for connection caching implementations), and a sample connection caching implementation provided by Oracle.
Chapter 16, "Distributed Transactions" | This chapter covers distributed transactions, otherwise known as global transactions, and standard XA functionality. (Distributed transactions are sets of transactions, often to multiple databases, that have to be committed in a coordinated manner.)
Chapter 17, "Java Transaction API" | This chapter describes how to use the JDBC connections within a JTA global transaction in order to include all changes to multiple databases within a transaction.
Chapter 18, "Advanced Topics" | This chapter describes advanced JDBC topics such as using NLS, working with applets, the server-side driver, and embedded SQL92 syntax.
Chapter 19, "Coding Tips and Troubleshooting" | This chapter includes coding tips and general guidelines for troubleshooting your JDBC applications.
Chapter 20, "Sample Applications" | This chapter presents sample applications that highlight advanced JDBC features and Oracle extensions.
Chapter 21, "Reference Information" | This chapter contains detailed JDBC reference information.
Appendix A, "JDBC Error Messages" | This appendix lists JDBC error messages and the corresponding `ORA` error numbers.

## Document Conventions

This book uses Solaris syntax, but file names and directory names for Windows NT are the same, unless otherwise noted.

The term [`ORACLE_HOME`] is used to indicate the full path of the Oracle home directory.

In examples, an implied carriage return occurs at the end of each line, unless otherwise noted. You must press the Return key at the end of a line of input.

The following conventions are also used in this manual:

Convention | Meaning
--- | ---
. . . | Vertical ellipsis points in an example mean that information not directly related to the example has been omitted.
. . . | Horizontal ellipsis points in statements or commands mean that parts of the statement or command not directly related to the example have been omitted.
< > | Angle brackets enclose user-supplied names.
[ ] | Brackets enclose optional clauses from which you can choose one or none.

## Related Documents

This section lists other documentation of interest.

See the following additional documents available from the Oracle Java Platform group:

- Oracle8i Java Developer's Guide

  This book introduces the basic concepts of Java in Oracle8i and provides general information about server-side configuration and functionality. Information that pertains to the Oracle Java platform as a whole, rather than to a particular product (such as JDBC, SQLJ, or EJBs) is in this book.

- Oracle8i JPublisher User's Guide

  This book describes how to use the JPublisher utility to translate object types and other user-defined types to Java classes. If you are developing SQLJ or JDBC applications that use object types, VARRAY types, nested table types, or object reference types, then JPublisher can generate custom Java classes to map to them.

- Oracle8i SQLJ Developer's Guide and Reference

  This book covers the use of SQLJ to embed static SQL operations directly into Java code, covering SQLJ language syntax and SQLJ translator options and features. Both standard SQLJ features and Oracle-specific SQLJ features are described.

- Oracle8i Java Stored Procedures Developer's Guide

  This book discusses Java stored procedures--programs that run directly in the Oracle8i server. With stored procedures (functions, procedures, database triggers, and SQL methods), Java developers can implement business logic at the server level, thereby improving application performance, scalability, and security.

- Oracle8i Enterprise JavaBeans and CORBA Developer's Guide

  This book describes the Oracle extensions to the Enterprise JavaBeans and CORBA specifications.

You can also refer to the following documents from the Oracle Server Technologies group.

- Net8 Administrator's Guide

  This book contains information about the Oracle8 Connection Manager and Net8 network administration in general.

- Oracle8i National Language Support Guide

  This book contains information about NLS environment variables, character sets, and territory and locale settings. In addition, it contains an overview of common NLS issues, typical scenarios, and NLS considerations for OCI and SQL programmers.

- Oracle Advanced Security Administrator's Guide

  This book describes features of the Oracle Advanced Security Option (formerly known as ANO or ASO).

- Oracle8i Application Developer's Guide - Fundamentals

  This book introduces basic design concepts and programming features in using an Oracle8i database and creating database access applications.

- Oracle8i Application Developer's Guide - Large Objects (LOBs)

  This book describes general functionality and features of database large objects (LOBs) in Oracle8i.

- Oracle8i Application Developer's Guide - Object-Relational Features

  This book contains general information about structured objects and other object-relational database features in Oracle8i.

- Oracle8i Supplied PL/SQL Packages Reference

  This book documents PL/SQL packages available as part of the Oracle8i server, some of which may be useful to call from JDBC applications.

- PL/SQL User's Guide and Reference

  PL/This book explains the concepts and features of PL/SQL, Oracle's procedural language extension to SQL.

- Oracle8i SQL Reference

  This book contains a complete description of the content and syntax of the SQL commands and features used to manage information in an Oracle database.

- Oracle8i Reference

  This book contains general reference information about the Oracle8i server.

- Oracle8i Error Messages

  This book contains information about error messages that can be passed by the Oracle8i server.

Documentation from the following Oracle groups may also be of interest.

- Oracle8i Application Server documentation

  This documentation contains information about how the Oracle8i Application Server supports JDBC.

- Oracle8i JDeveloper Suite documentation

  This documentation contains information about how the Oracle8i JDeveloper Suite supports JDBC.

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