1 Oracle Database Companion CD Installation Overview

1.2.1 Oracle JDBC Development Drivers

Oracle provides a set of JDBC drivers that you can use for debugging your code and other deployment scenarios. These drivers can access Oracle Database release 10.2.0.1 or later.

1.2.2 Oracle SQLJ

Oracle SQLJ enables applications programmers to embed SQL operations in Java code in a way that is compatible with the Java design philosophy. A SQLJ program is a Java program containing embedded SQL statements. Oracle SQLJ offers extensions to support dynamic SQL operations—those that are not predefined, where the operations themselves can change in real-time. It is also possible to use dynamic SQL operations through JDBC code or PL/SQL code within a SQLJ application. Typical applications contain much more static SQL than dynamic SQL. SQLJ has both a translator and a runtime component and is smoothly integrated into your development environment.

1.2.3 Oracle Database Examples

Oracle Database Examples include a variety of examples and product demonstrations that you can use to learn about the products, options, and features of Oracle Database. Many of these examples are designed to work with the Sample Schemas which you can optionally install in any Oracle database. Many of the documents in the Oracle Online Documentation Library use the example programs and scripts provided with the Oracle Database Examples.

1.2.4 Oracle Text Supplied Knowledge Bases

The Oracle Database 10g Products installation type installs two Oracle Text knowledge bases, English and French. You can extend the supplied knowledge bases depending on your requirements. Alternatively, you can create your own knowledge bases, in languages other than English and French.

1.2.5 Oracle Ultra Search

You can use Oracle Ultra Search to build different kinds of search applications. It lets you index and search Web sites, database tables, files, mailing lists, Oracle Application Server Portals, and user-defined data sources.

1.2.6 Natively Compiled Java Libraries

The Oracle Database 10g Products installation type installs JAccelerator and Oracle interMedia Image Accelerator which contains the natively compiled Java libraries (NCOMPs) for Oracle JVM and Oracle interMedia. These libraries are required to improve the performance of these products on your platform.

1.2.7 JPublisher

JPublisher is a Java utility that generates Java classes to represent the following user-defined database entities in a Java program:

• SQL object types

• Object reference types (REF types)

• SQL collection types (VARRAY types or nested table types)

• PL/SQL packages

• Server-side Java classes

• SQL queries and DML statements

You can use JPublisher to specify and customize the mapping of SQL object types, object reference types, and collection types (VARRAYs or nested tables) to Java classes in a strongly typed paradigm.

JPublisher also can generate classes for PL/SQL packages. These classes have wrapper methods to invoke the stored procedures in the PL/SQL packages.

In addition, JPublisher simplifies access to PL/SQL-only types from Java. You can employ predefined or user-defined mappings between PL/SQL and SQL types, as well as use PL/SQL conversion functions between such types. With such type correspondences in place, JPublisher can automatically generate the required Java and PL/SQL code.

In a similar way that SQL or PL/SQL entities publish to Java, you can publish server-side Java classes to client-side Java classes. Doing this enables applications to make direct calls to Java classes in the database.JPublisher lets you expose generated Java classes as Web services, for example. You can publish either SQL or PL/SQL entities or server-side Java entities.

JPublisher uses SQLJ code in most Java classes that it generates, so it includes Oracle SQLJ Translator and Oracle SQLJ Runtime. Oracle SQLJ is a standard way to embed SQL statements in Java programs.

Oracle SQLJ Translator

Because JPublisher uses SQLJ code in its generated classes, it automatically invokes the Oracle SQLJ translator during the code generation process, as necessary. The translator converts embedded SQL statements into JDBC calls.

Oracle SQLJ Runtime

Oracle SQLJ Runtime is used during program execution to execute most classes that were generated by JPublisher. SQLJ Runtime is a thin layer of pure Java code that runs above the JDBC driver. It acts as an intermediary that reads information about SQL operations and passing instructions along to the JDBC driver.