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Application development overview
Derby application
developers use the Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) API, the application
programming interface that makes it possible
to access relational databases from Java programs.
The JDBC API is part of the Java Platform, Standard Edition and is
not specific to Derby.
It consists of the java.sql and javax.sql packages, which is
a set of classes and interfaces that make it possible to access databases
(from a number of different vendors, not just Derby)
from a Java application.
To develop Derby applications
successfully, you will need to learn the JDBC API. This section does not teach you
how to program with the JDBC API.
This section covers the details of application programming that are specific
to Derby applications.
For example, all JDBC applications typically start their DBMS's JDBC driver
and use a connection URL to connect to a database. This chapter gives you
the details of how to start Derby's
JDBC driver and how to work with Derby's
connection URL to accomplish various tasks. It also covers essential Derby concepts
such as the Derby system.
You will find reference information about the particulars of Derby's
implementation of the JDBC API in the Derby Reference Manual.
Derby application developers
will need to learn SQL. SQL is the standard query language used with
relational databases and is not tied to a particular programming language.
No matter how a particular RDBMS has been implemented, the user can design
databases and insert, modify, and retrieve data using the standard SQL statements
and well-defined data types. SQL-92 is the version of SQL standardized by
ANSI and ISO in 1992; Derby supports
entry-level SQL-92 as well as some higher-level features. Entry-level SQL-92
is a subset of full SQL-92 specified by ANSI and ISO that is supported by
nearly all major DBMSs today. This chapter does not teach you SQL. You will
find reference information about the particulars of Derby's
implementation of SQL in the Derby Reference Manual.
Derby implements the JDBC
API so as to allow Derby to
serve as a resource manager in a Java EE compliant system.
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