Preface

This preface introduces you to the Oracle9i SQLJ Developer's Guide and Reference, discussing the intended audience, structure, and conventions of this document. A list of related Oracle documents is also provided.

This preface contains these topics:

• Intended Audience
• Documentation Accessibility
• Organization
• Related Documentation
• Conventions

Note: For space considerations, the Sample Applications chapter has been removed from this document. Please try the demo applications that are provided with Oracle SQLJ for examples of the many programming features described here. Also see the OTN link at the end of "Related Documentation".

Intended Audience

This manual is intended for anyone with an interest in SQLJ programming but assumes at least some prior knowledge of the following:

• Java
• SQL
• Oracle PL/SQL
• JDBC
• Oracle databases

Although general knowledge of SQL and JDBC is sufficient, any knowledge of Oracle-specific SQL and JDBC features would be helpful as well.

See "Related Documentation" below for the names of Oracle documents that discuss SQL and JDBC.

Documentation Accessibility

Our goal is to make Oracle products, services, and supporting documentation accessible, with good usability, to the disabled community. To that end, our documentation includes features that make information available to users of assistive technology. This documentation is available in HTML format, and contains markup to facilitate access by the disabled community. Standards will continue to evolve over time, and Oracle Corporation is actively engaged with other market-leading technology vendors to address technical obstacles so that our documentation can be accessible to all of our customers. For additional information, visit the Oracle Accessibility Program Web site at

http://www.oracle.com/accessibility/

Accessibility of Code Examples in Documentation

JAWS, a Windows screen reader, may not always correctly read the code examples in this document. The conventions for writing code require that closing braces should appear on an otherwise empty line; however, JAWS may not always read a line of text that consists solely of a bracket or brace.

Accessibility of Links to External Web Sites in Documentation

This documentation may contain links to Web sites of other companies or organizations that Oracle Corporation does not own or control. Oracle Corporation neither evaluates nor makes any representations regarding the accessibility of these Web sites.

Organization

The two major aspects of using SQLJ are:

• creating your SQLJ source code
• running the SQLJ translator

Chapters 3 through 7 provide information about programming features, with chapters 3 and 4 covering the most important aspects.

Chapter 8 provides information about translator options and features.

In all, this document contains:

Chapter 1, "Overview"

Introduces SQLJ concepts, components, and processes. Discusses possible alternative deployment or development scenarios.

Chapter 2, "Getting Started"

Guides you through the steps of testing and verifying the installation of an Oracle database, Oracle JDBC drivers, and Oracle SQLJ.

Chapter 3, "Basic Language Features"

Discusses SQLJ programming features you must have for basic applications. Focuses largely on standard SQLJ constructs, as opposed to Oracle extended functionality.

Chapter 4, "Key Programming Considerations"

Discusses key issues to consider as you write your source code, such as connections, null-handling, exception-handling, and Oracle-specific code generation.

Chapter 5, "Type Support"

Lists Java types that Oracle SQLJ supports, discusses the use of stream types, and discusses Oracle datatype extensions and the Java types that correspond to them.

Chapter 6, "Objects, Collections, and OPAQUE Types"

Discusses Oracle SQLJ support of user-defined object and collection types, including use of the Oracle JPublisher utility to generate corresponding Java types. There is also a brief discussion of support for Oracle OPAQUE types.

Chapter 7, "Advanced Language Features"

Discusses additional SQLJ programming features you may need for more advanced applications.

Chapter 8, "Translator Command Line and Options"

Documents command-line syntax, properties files, and options for the Oracle SQLJ translator.

Chapter 9, "Translator and Runtime Functionality"

Discusses the functionality of translator operations, translator and runtime error messages, and globalization support.

Chapter 10, "Performance and Debugging"

Discusses standard and Oracle-specific performance tuning features, and general SQLJ debugging considerations.

Chapter 11, "SQLJ in the Server"

Discusses how to create and load SQLJ applications to run in the server, typically as stored procedures or functions. This includes optional use of the server-side embedded translator.

Appendix A, "Customization and Specialized Customizers"

Describes SQLJ profiles, used in implementing SQL operations for ISO standard code generation; documents options you can specify during translation regarding the customization of your profiles for particular environments; discusses specialized customizers, including one for semantics-checking for profiles and one for installing "auditors" for debugging.

Appendix B, "SQLJ Error Messages"

Lists Oracle SQLJ translator and runtime error messages, their causes, and what actions you should take in response.

Related Documentation

Also available from the Oracle Java Platform group, for Oracle9i releases:

• Oracle9i Java Developer's Guide

  This book introduces the basic concepts of Java in Oracle9i and provides general information about server-side configuration and functionality. Information that pertains to the Oracle database Java environment in general, rather than to a particular product such as JDBC or SQLJ, is in this book.

• Oracle9i JDBC Developer's Guide and Reference

  This book covers programming syntax and features of the Oracle implementation of the JDBC standard (for Java Database Connectivity). This includes an overview of the Oracle JDBC drivers, details of the Oracle implementation of JDBC 1.22, 2.0, and 3.0 features, and discussion of Oracle JDBC type extensions and performance extensions.

• Oracle9i JPublisher User's Guide

  This book describes how to use the Oracle JPublisher utility to translate object types and other user-defined types to Java classes. If you are developing SQLJ or JDBC applications that use object types, VARRAY types, nested table types, or object reference types, then JPublisher can generate custom Java classes to map to them.

• Oracle9i Support for JavaServer Pages Reference

  This book covers the use of JavaServer Pages technology to embed Java code and JavaBean invocations inside HTML pages. Both standard JSP features and Oracle-specific features are described. Discussion covers considerations for the Oracle9i release 2 Apache JServ environment, but also covers features for servlet 2.2 environments and emulation of some of those features by the Oracle JSP container for JServ.

• Oracle9i Java Stored Procedures Developer's Guide

  This book discusses Java stored procedures--programs that run directly in the Oracle9i database. With stored procedures (functions, procedures, triggers, and SQL methods), Java developers can implement business logic at the server level, thereby improving application performance, scalability, and security.

The following OC4J documents, for Oracle9i Application Server releases, are also available from the Oracle Java Platform group.

• Oracle9iAS Containers for J2EE User's Guide

  This book provides some overview and general information for OC4J; primer chapters for servlets, JSP pages, and EJBs; and general configuration and deployment instructions.

• Oracle9iAS Containers for J2EE Support for JavaServer Pages Reference

  This book provides information for JSP developers who want to run their pages in OC4J. It includes a general overview of JSP standards and programming considerations, as well as discussion of Oracle value-added features and steps for getting started in the OC4J environment.

• Oracle9iAS Containers for J2EE JSP Tag Libraries and Utilities Reference

  This book provides conceptual information and detailed syntax and usage information for tag libraries, JavaBeans, and other Java utilities provided with OC4J.

• Oracle9iAS Containers for J2EE Servlet Developer's Guide

  This book provides information for servlet developers regarding use of servlets and the servlet container in OC4J. It also documents relevant OC4J configuration files.

• Oracle9iAS Containers for J2EE Services Guide

  This book provides information about basic Java services supplied with OC4J, such as JTA, JNDI, and the Oracle9i Application Server Java Object Cache.

• Oracle9iAS Containers for J2EE Enterprise JavaBeans Developer's Guide and Reference

  This book provides information about the EJB implementation and EJB container in OC4J.

The following documents are from the Oracle Server Technologies group:

• Oracle9i XML Database Developer's Guide - Oracle XML DB
• Oracle9i XML Developer's Kits Guide - XDK
• Oracle9i Application Developer's Guide - Fundamentals
• Oracle9i Application Developer's Guide - Large Objects (LOBs)
• Oracle9i Application Developer's Guide - Object-Relational Features
• Oracle9i Supplied Java Packages Reference
• Oracle9i Supplied PL/SQL Packages and Types Reference
• PL/SQL User's Guide and Reference
• Oracle9i SQL Reference
• Oracle9i Net Services Administrator's Guide
• Oracle Advanced Security Administrator's Guide
• Oracle9i Database Globalization Support Guide
• Oracle9i Database Reference
• Oracle9i Database Error Messages
• Oracle9i Sample Schemas

The following documents from the Oracle9i Application Server group may also be of interest:

• Oracle9i Application Server Administrator's Guide
• Oracle Enterprise Manager Administrator's Guide
• Oracle HTTP Server Administration Guide
• Oracle9i Application Server Performance Guide
• Oracle9i Application Server Globalization Support Guide
• Oracle9iAS Web Cache Administration and Deployment Guide
• Oracle9i Application Server: Migrating from Oracle9i Application Server 1.x

The following are available from the Oracle9i JDeveloper group:

• JDeveloper online help
• JDeveloper documentation on the Oracle Technology Network:

  http://otn.oracle.com/products/jdev/content.html
  
  

In North America, printed documentation is available for sale in the Oracle Store at

http://oraclestore.oracle.com/

Customers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) can purchase documentation from

http://www.oraclebookshop.com/

Other customers can contact their Oracle representative to purchase printed documentation.

To download free release notes, installation documentation, white papers, or other collateral, please visit the Oracle Technology Network (OTN). You must register online before using OTN; registration is free and can be done at

http://otn.oracle.com/admin/account/membership.html

If you already have a username and password for OTN, then you can go directly to the documentation section of the OTN Web site at

http://otn.oracle.com/docs/index.htm

To access the database documentation search engine directly, please visit

http://tahiti.oracle.com

For documentation of SQLJ standard features and syntax, refer to ANSI specification X3.135.10-1998:

• Information Technology - Database Languages - SQL - Part 10: Object Language Bindings (SQL/OLB)

You can obtain this from ANSI through the following Web site:

http://www.ansi.org/

(Click "Electronic Standards Store" and search for the above specification number.)

The following location has SQLJ sample applications:

http://otn.oracle.com/sample_code/tech/java/sqlj_jdbc/content.html

Conventions

This section describes the conventions used in the text and code examples of this documentation set. It describes:

• Conventions in Text
• Conventions in Code Examples

Conventions in Text

We use various conventions in text to help you more quickly identify special terms. The following table describes those conventions and provides examples of their use.

Convention	Meaning	Example
Italics	Italic typeface indicates book titles or emphasis, or terms that are defined in the text.	Oracle9i Database Concepts Ensure that the recovery catalog and target database do not reside on the same disk.
UPPERCASE monospace (fixed-width) font	Uppercase monospace typeface indicates elements supplied by the system. Such elements include parameters, privileges, datatypes, RMAN keywords, SQL keywords, SQL*Plus or utility commands, packages and methods, as well as system-supplied column names, database objects and structures, usernames, and roles.	You can specify this clause only for a NUMBER column. You can back up the database by using the BACKUP command. Query the TABLE_NAME column in the USER_TABLES data dictionary view. Use the DBMS_STATS.GENERATE_STATS procedure.
lowercase monospace (fixed-width) font	Lowercase monospace typeface indicates executables, filenames, directory names, and sample user-supplied elements. Such elements include computer and database names, net service names, and connect identifiers, as well as user-supplied database objects and structures, column names, packages and classes, usernames and roles, program units, and parameter values. Note: Some programmatic elements use a mixture of UPPERCASE and lowercase. Enter these elements as shown.	Enter sqlplus to open SQL*Plus. The password is specified in the orapwd file. Back up the data files and control files in the /disk1/oracle/dbs directory. The department_id, department_name, and location_id columns are in the hr.departments table. Set the QUERY_REWRITE_ENABLED initialization parameter to true. Connect as oe user. The JRepUtil class implements these methods.
lowercase italic monospace (fixed-width) font	Lowercase italic monospace font represents place holders or variables.	You can specify the parallel_clause. Run old_release.SQL where old_release refers to the release you installed prior to upgrading.

Conventions in Code Examples

Code examples illustrate SQL, PL/SQL, SQL*Plus, or other command-line statements. They are displayed in a monospace (fixed-width) font and separated from normal text as shown in this example:

SELECT username FROM dba_users WHERE username = 'MIGRATE';

The following table describes typographic conventions used in code examples and provides examples of their use.

Convention	Meaning	Example
< >	In this document, angle brackets are used instead of regular brackets to enclose one or more optional items. Do not enter the angle brackets. (Regular brackets are not used due to SQLJ syntax considerations.)	DECIMAL (digits < , precision >)
|	A vertical bar represents a choice of two or more options within brackets or braces. Enter one of the options. Do not enter the vertical bar.	{ENABLE | DISABLE} [COMPRESS | NOCOMPRESS]
...	Horizontal ellipsis points indicate either: That we have omitted parts of the code that are not directly related to the example That you can repeat a portion of the code	CREATE TABLE ... AS subquery; SELECT col1, col2, ... , coln FROM employees;
Other notation	You must enter symbols other than brackets, braces, vertical bars, and ellipsis points as shown.	acctbal NUMBER(11,2); acct CONSTANT NUMBER(4) := 3;
Italics	Italicized text indicates place holders or variables for which you must supply particular values.	CONNECT SYSTEM/system_password DB_NAME = database_name
UPPERCASE	Uppercase typeface indicates elements supplied by the system. We show these terms in uppercase in order to distinguish them from terms you define. Unless terms appear in brackets, enter them in the order and with the spelling shown. However, because these terms are not case sensitive, you can enter them in lowercase.	SELECT last_name, employee_id FROM employees; SELECT * FROM USER_TABLES; DROP TABLE hr.employees;
lowercase	Lowercase typeface indicates programmatic elements that you supply. For example, lowercase indicates names of tables, columns, or files. Note: Some programmatic elements use a mixture of UPPERCASE and lowercase. Enter these elements as shown.	SELECT last_name, employee_id FROM employees; sqlplus hr/hr CREATE USER mjones IDENTIFIED BY ty3MU9;