If you need to shut down or create a database, it is easiest just to work with the Derby-specific implementations of interfaces, as shown in these examples.

javax.sql.XADataSource xads = makeXADataSource(mydb, true);


// example of setting property directory using 
// Derby 's XADataSource object
import org.apache.derby.jdbc.EmbeddedXADataSource;
import javax.sql.XADataSource;
// dbname is the database name
// if create is true, create the database if not already created
XADataSource makeXADataSource (String dbname, boolean create) 
{
    //
    // If your application runs on JDK 1.6 or higher, then
    // you will use the JDBC4 variant of this class:
    // EmbeddedXADataSource40.
    //
    EmbeddedXADataSource xads = new EmbeddedXADataSource();
    // use Derby 's setDatabaseName call
    xads.setDatabaseName(dbname);
    if (create)
        xads.setCreateDatabase("create");
    return xads;
}

Setting the property does not create or shut down the database. The database is not actually created or shut down until the next connection request.