Press Release
January 4, 2002
Oracle JDBC Demystified--O'Reilly Author Shows How to Leverage the Strengths of Oracle and Java
Sebastopol, CA--Oracle JDBC is where Oracle, the
write-once-run-anywhere database meets Java, the
write-once-run-anywhere programming language. But what is JDBC and how
does it work? Donald Bales, author of
Java Programming with
Oracle JDBC (O'Reilly, US $39.95) tells us that JDBC, or Java DataBase
Connectivity, is a Java API for executing dynamic SQL statements;
Oracle JDBC is for executing dynamic SQL statements in a standard way
and for leveraging Oracle's extended functionality. As Bales explains,
Oracle JDBC acts as the bridge between Java and Oracle. This answers
the question of what it is, but how it works is the deeper question
that Bales addresses throughout his book, drawing from his sixteen-plus
years of experience with Oracle, and six years' experience with Java.
"With Java and Oracle," Bales says, "we can leverage the strength of
relational technology and object orientation in our enterprise
applications on both client and server. But to leverage this technology
to build enterprise applications, we need to have a solid foundation.
That's what this book is all about. Oracle JDBC is the foundation for
all your Java/Oracle applications."
According to the author, most books on JDBC lack coverage in three
important areas. "First, they explain how to use JDBC without regard
for the context in which it is being applied. This puts the beginning
JDBC user at a distinct disadvantage," says Bales. "For example, most
JDBC books spend far too little time on how to establish a connection
to a database. They'll take a couple of pages to regurgitate the JDBC
API specification on how to call the getConnection() method for
DriverManager or DataSource, but don't give the reader a context on
what is appropriate for the situation. I give my readers a jump-start
by showing everything within a real-world context.
"Second, no other book I know of spends any time discussing the
object-relational extensions to JDBC. I've included three chapters
explaining the use of Oracle as an object database. And finally, there
are vendor-specific extensions to JDBC, which are necessary because the
JDBC API does not completely define a standard way to implement
functionality. A generic book on JDBC doesn't cover these."
Java Programming with Oracle JDBC begins with an in-depth discussion
of establishing database connections from applications, applets,
Servlets, and from Java stored procedures. Bales then explains how to
issue SQL statements and get results back, and moves on to more
advanced topics such as streaming large objects, calling PL/SQL
procedures, and working with Oracle9i's object-oriented features. The
book also covers transactions, concurrency management, and
performance.
In addition to practical advice on how to implement Oracle JDBC, Java
and Oracle professionals will benefit from the insights Bales'
experience has given him, which he shares throughout the book. "There's
what I consider a bit of madness going around," Bales explains, "The
Java purists, that is, those who would like to do everything in Java,
are progressively moving more and more 'database' functionality from
the database to the application server. They treat the database as a
file system rather than a persistence for a massive amount of objects.
My three chapters on object-relational technology show you how to use
the database as an extension to the memory of your Java application,
using SQL to access 'objects' in the database as objects in Java. I
treat the database as part of the memory of my application, a
potentially unlimited amount of memory.
"With Oracle9i," Bales adds, "anything you can model in Java, you can
model in Oracle. If just a few good programmers see the value of using
this existing reliable infrastructure rather than recreating it, we can
get on with the next paradigm shift, which is to model our business
problems as objects instead of relationally mapped to Java objects.
We're still stuck in the relational rut just as the hierarchical and
network databasers of the past were stuck in a rut when relational
technology first came out."
Java Programming with Oracle JDBC is a book written by a programmer
for programmers. This book is an essential tool for all Java and Oracle
developers who need to work with both technologies.
Online Resources:
Java Programming with
Oracle JDBC
By Donald Bales
January 2002
ISBN 0-596-00088-X, 477 pages, $39.95 (US) $59.95 (CA)
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
About O'Reilly
O'Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O'Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying "faint signals" from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.
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