By utilizing the information available from the Exception object, you can catch an

exception and continue your program appropriately. Here is the general form of a try
block:
try {
// Your risky code goes between these curly braces!!!
}
catch(Exception ex) {
// Your exception handling code goes between these
// curly braces, similar to the exception clause
// in a PL/SQL block.
}
finally {
// Your must-always-be-executed code goes between these
// curly braces. Like closing database connection.
}
JDBC - Data Types:
The following table summarizes the default JDBC data type that the Java data type is converted to
when you call the setXXX() method of the PreparedStatement or CallableStatement object or the
ResultSet.updateXXX() method.

JDBC/Java setXXX updateXXX

SQL
VARCHAR java.lang.String setString updateString
CHAR java.lang.String setString updateString
LONGVARCHAR java.lang.String setString updateString
BIT Boolean setBoolean updateBoolean
NUMERIC java.math.BigDecimal setBigDecimal updateBigDecimal
TINYINT Byte setByte updateByte
SMALLINT Short setShort updateShort
INTEGER Int setInt updateInt
BIGINT Long setLong updateLong
REAL Float setFloat updateFloat
FLOAT Float setFloat updateFloat
DOUBLE Double setDouble updateDouble
VARBINARY byte[ ] setBytes updateBytes
BINARY byte[ ] setBytes updateBytes
DATE java.sql.Date setDate updateDate
TIME java.sql.Time setTime updateTime
TIMESTAMP java.sql.Timestamp setTimestamp updateTimestamp
CLOB java.sql.Clob setClob updateClob
BLOB java.sql.Blob setBlob updateBlob
ARRAY java.sql.Array setARRAY updateARRAY
REF java.sql.Ref SetRef updateRef
STRUCT java.sql.Struct SetStruct updateStruct
 JDBC 3.0 has enhanced support for BLOB, CLOB, ARRAY, and REF data types. The
ResultSet object now has updateBLOB(), updateCLOB(), updateArray(), and updateRef()
methods that enable you to directly manipulate the respective data on the server.
The setXXX() and updateXXX() methods enable you to convert specific Java types to
specific JDBC data types. The methods, setObject() and updateObject(), enable you to
map almost any Java type to a JDBC data type.
ResultSet object provides corresponding getXXX() method for each data type to retrieve
column value. Each method can be used with column name or by its ordinal position.

SQL JDBC/Java setXXX getXXX

VARCHAR java.lang.String setString getString
CHAR java.lang.String setString getString
LONGVARCHAR java.lang.String setString getString
BIT Boolean setBoolean getBoolean
NUMERIC java.math.BigDecimal setBigDecimal getBigDecimal
TINYINT Byte setByte getByte
SMALLINT Short setShort getShort
INTEGER Int setInt getInt
BIGINT Long setLong getLong
REAL Float setFloat getFloat
FLOAT Float setFloat getFloat
DOUBLE Double setDouble getDouble
VARBINARY byte[ ] setBytes getBytes
BINARY byte[ ] setBytes getBytes
DATE java.sql.Date setDate getDate
TIME java.sql.Time setTime getTime
TIMESTAMP java.sql.Timestamp setTimestamp getTimestamp
CLOB java.sql.Clob setClob getClob
BLOB java.sql.Blob setBlob getBlob
ARRAY java.sql.Array setARRAY getARRAY
REF java.sql.Ref SetRef getRef
STRUCT java.sql.Struct SetStruct getStruct
Sample Code:

This sample example can serve as a template when you need to create your own JDBC
application in the future.

This sample code has been written based on the environment and database setup done in
previous chapter.

Copy and past following example in FirstExample.java, compile and run as follows:

//STEP 1. Import required

packages import java.sql.*;

public class FirstExample {

// JDBC driver name and database URL
static final String JDBC_DRIVER = "com.mysql.jdbc.Driver";
static final String DB_URL = "jdbc:mysql://localhost/EMP";

// Database credentials
static final String USER = "username";
static final String PASS = "password";

public static void main(String[] args) {

Connection conn = null;
Statement stmt = null;
try{
//STEP 2: Register JDBC driver
Class.forName("com.mysql.jdbc.Driver");

//STEP 3: Open a connection

System.out.println("Connecting to database...");
conn = DriverManager.getConnection(DB_URL,USER,PASS);

//STEP 4: Execute a query

System.out.println("Creating statement...");
stmt = conn.createStatement();
String sql;
sql = "SELECT id, first, last, age FROM Employees";
ResultSet rs = stmt.executeQuery(sql);
//STEP 5: Extract data from result set
while(rs.next()){
//Retrieve by column name
int id = rs.getInt("id");
int age = rs.getInt("age");
String first = rs.getString("first");

String last = rs.getString("last");

//Display values
System.out.print("ID: " + id);
System.out.print(", Age: " + age);
System.out.print(", First: " + first);
System.out.println(", Last: " + last);
}
//STEP 6: Clean-up environment
rs.close();
stmt.close();
conn.close();
}catch(SQLException se){
//Handle errors for JDBC
se.printStackTrace();
}catch(Exception e){
//Handle errors for Class.forName
e.printStackTrace();
}finally{
//finally block used to close resources
try{
 if(stmt!=null)
stmt.close();
}catch(SQLException
se2){ }// nothing we can do
try{
if(conn!=null)
conn.close();
}catch(SQLException se){
se.printStackTrace();
}//end finally try
}//end try
System.out.println("Goodbye!");
}//end main
}//end FirstExample

Now let us compile above example as follows:

C:\>javac FirstExample.java
C:\>

When you run FirstExample, it produces following result:

C:\>java FirstExample
Connecting to database...
Creating statement...
ID: 100, Age: 18, First: Zara, Last: Ali
ID: 101, Age: 25, First: Mahnaz, Last: Fatma
ID: 102, Age: 30, First: Zaid, Last: Khan
ID: 103, Age: 28, First: Sumit, Last: Mittal
C:\>

JDBC Drivers Types:

JDBC driver implementations vary because of the wide variety of operating systems and
hardware platforms in which Java operates. Sun has divided the implementation types into four
categories, Types 1, 2, 3, and 4, which is explained below:

Type 1: JDBC-ODBC Bridge Driver:

In a Type 1 driver, a JDBC bridge is used to access ODBC drivers installed on each client
machine. Using ODBC requires configuring on your system a Data Source Name (DSN) that
represents the target database.
When Java first came out, this was a useful driver because most databases only supported ODBC
access but now this type of driver is recommended only for experimental use or when no other
alternative is available.
The JDBC-ODBC bridge that comes with JDK 1.2 is a good example of this kind of driver.

Type 2: JDBC-Native API:

In a Type 2 driver, JDBC API calls are converted into native C/C++ API calls which are unique
to the database. These drivers typically provided by the database vendors and used in the same
manner as the JDBC-ODBC Bridge, the vendor-specific driver must be installed on each client
machine.
If we change the Database we have to change the native API as it is specific to a database and
they are mostly obsolete now but you may realize some speed increase with a Type 2 driver,
because it eliminates ODBC's overhead.

The Oracle Call Interface (OCI) driver is an example of a Type 2 driver.

Type 3: JDBC-Net pure Java:

In a Type 3 driver, a three-tier approach is used to accessing databases. The JDBC clients use
standard network sockets to communicate with an middleware application server. The socket
information is then translated by the middleware application server into the call format required
by the DBMS, and forwarded to the database server. This kind of driver is extremely flexible,
since it requires no code installed on the client and a single driver can actually provide access to
multiple databases.

You can think of the application server as a JDBC "proxy," meaning that it makes calls for the
client application. As a result, you need some knowledge of the application server's configuration
in order to effectively use this driver type. Your application server might use a Type 1, 2, or 4
driver to communicate with the database, understanding the nuances will prove helpful.

Type 4: 100% pure Java:

In a Type 4 driver, a pure Java-based driver that communicates directly with vendor's database
through socket connection. This is the highest performance driver available for the database and
is usually provided by the vendor itself.
This kind of driver is extremely flexible, you don't need to install special software on the client
or server. Further, these drivers can be downloaded dynamically.
MySQL's Connector/J driver is a Type 4 driver. Because of the proprietary nature of their
network protocols, database vendors usually supply type 4 drivers.

Which Driver should be used?

If you are accessing one type of database, such as Oracle, Sybase, or IBM, the preferred driver
type is 4.

If your Java application is accessing multiple types of databases at the same time, type 3 is the
preferred driver.

Type 2 drivers are useful in situations where a type 3 or type 4 driver is not available yet for your
database.

The type 1 driver is not considered a deployment-level driver and is typically used for
development and testing purposes only.