SQL Server Adds Java Hook

A new driver for SQL Server 2000 enables Java applications to access SQL Server databases through the Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) API, the dominant data access API on Sun’s Java platform. This free software library is particularly useful for developers who are building applications on Java application servers, and it could give Microsoft and its partners a foot in the door at those developers’ companies. However, developers should make sure the driver supports the JDBC features they need in their applications and be ready to trade up to a more capable commercial driver if it does not.

Free Driver More Direct

The new driver gives developers free, Java-native support for JDBC and SQL Server. JDBC is a single API that enables Java applications to access diverse databases. It resembles the Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) API, an API commonly used on Windows, in that it uses software drivers that translate between the API and the proprietary protocols used by a particular database product. Up to now, developers using JDBC have relied on less efficient or more expensive alternatives for accessing SQL Server. (See the illustration “Java Data Access Improvements“.)