Administering ColdFusion MX
Data Source Management

About JDBC

JDBC is a Java API (Application Programming Interface, an interface between application programs and the operating system) that you use to execute SQL statements. JDBC enables an application, such as ColdFusion, to interact with a variety of relational databases, without using interfaces that are database- and platform-specific.

Note:   JDBC is not an acronym; however, it is often believed to stand for Java DataBase Connectivity.

The following table describes the four types of JDBC drivers:

Type	Name	Description
1	JDBC-ODBC bridge	Translates JDBC calls into ODBC calls, and sends them to the ODBC driver. Advantages  Allows access to many different databases. Disadvantages  The ODBC driver, and possibly the client database libraries, must reside on the ColdFusion server computer. Performance is also below par. Macromedia does not recommend this driver type unless your application requires specific features of these drivers.
2	Native-API/partly Java driver	Converts JDBC calls into database-specific calls. Advantages  Better performance than Type 1 Driver. Disadvantages  The vendor's client database libraries must reside on the same computer as ColdFusion. Macromedia does not recommend this driver type unless your application requires specific features of these drivers.
3	JDBC-Net pure Java driver	Translates JDBC calls into the middle-tier server, which then translates the request to the database-specific native-connectivity interface. Advantages  No need for vendor's database libraries to be present on client computer. Can be tailored for small size (faster loading). Disadvantages  Database-specific code must be executed in the middle-tier.
4	Native-protocol/all-Java driver	Converts JDBC calls into the network protocol used directly by the database. Advantages  Fast performance. No special software needed on the computer on which you run ColdFusion. Disadvantages  Many of these protocols are proprietary, requiring a different driver for each database.

Supplied drivers

The following table shows the database drivers supplied with ColdFusion and where you can find more information:

Driver	Type	Reference
DB2 UDB for OS/390	4	"Connecting to DB2 UDB for OS/390"
DB2 Universal Database 6.2, 7.2	4	"Connecting to DB2 Universal Database 6.2, 7.2"
Informix 9.x	4	"Connecting to Informix 9.x"
Microsoft Access	3	"Connecting to Microsoft Access"
Microsoft SQL Server 7.x, 2000	4	"Connecting to Microsoft SQL Server 7.x, 2000"
MySQL	4	"Connecting to MySQL"
ODBC Socket	3	"Connecting to ODBC Socket"
Oracle R3 (8.1.7), Oracle 9i	4	"Connecting to Oracle R3 (8.1.7), Oracle 9i"
Other		"Connecting to other data sources"
Sybase 11.5, 11.9, 12.0, 12.5	4	"Connecting to Sybase 11.5, 11.9, 12.0, and 12.5"

Copyright © 2002, Macromedia Inc. All rights reserved.

Comments