This chapter documents data types supported by the Oracle SQLJ implementation, listing supported SQL types and the Java types that correspond to them. This is followed by details about support for streams and Oracle type extensions. SQLJ support of Java types refers to types that can be used in host expressions.
This chapter covers the following topics:
This section summarizes the types supported by the Oracle SQLJ implementation, including information about new support for Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) 2.0 types.
See Also:
Oracle Database JDBC Developer's Guide and Reference for a complete list of legal Java mappings for each Oracle SQL typeNote:
SQLJ performs implicit conversions between SQL and Java types. Although this is generally useful and helpful, it can produce unexpected results. Do not rely on translation-time type-checking alone to ensure the correctness of your code.This section covers the following topics:
Table 5-1 lists the Java types that you can use in host expressions when employing the Oracle JDBC drivers. This table also documents the correlation between Java types, SQL types whose type codes are defined in the oracle.jdbc.OracleTypes
class, and data types in Oracle Database 11g.
Note:
TheOracleTypes
class simply defines a type code, which is an integer constant, for each Oracle data type. For standard JDBC types, the OracleTypes
value is identical to the standard java.sql.Types
value.SQL data output to a Java variable is converted to the corresponding Java type. A Java variable input to SQL is converted to the corresponding Oracle data type.
Table 5-1 Type Mappings for Supported Host Expression Types
Java Type | OracleTypes Definition | Oracle SQL Data Type |
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STANDARD JDBC 1.x TYPES |
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STANDARD JDBC 2.0 TYPES |
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Object types |
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Reference types |
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Collection types |
Custom object classes implementing |
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Object types |
JAVA WRAPPER CLASSES |
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SQLJ STREAM CLASSES |
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ORACLE EXTENSIONS |
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Object types |
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Reference types |
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Collection types |
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Custom object classes implementing |
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Object types |
Custom reference classes implementing |
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Reference types |
Custom collection classes implementing |
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Collection types |
Custom classes implementing |
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Other custom Java classes implementing |
Any |
Any |
SQLJ object Java types (can implement either |
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SQLJ object SQL types ( |
JAVA TYPES FOR PL/SQL TYPES |
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Scalar indexed-by table represented by a Java numeric array or an array of |
NA |
NA Note: There is a |
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QUERY RESULT OBJECTS |
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SQLJ iterator objects |
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See Also:
Oracle Database JDBC Developer's Guide and Reference for more information about Oracle type support.The following points relate to type support for standard features:
JDBC and SQLJ do not support Java char
and Character
types. Instead, use the Java String
type to represent character data.
Do not confuse the supported java.sql.Date
type with java.util.Date
, which is not directly supported. The java.sql.Date
class is a wrapper for java.util.Date
that enables JDBC to identify the data as a SQL DATE
and adds formatting and parsing operations to support JDBC escape syntax for date values.
Remember that all numeric types in Oracle Database 11g are stored as NUMBER
. Although you can specify additional precision when you declare a NUMBER
during table creation, this precision may be lost when retrieving the data through the Oracle JDBC drivers, depending on the Java type that you use to receive the data. An oracle.sql.NUMBER
instance would preserve full information.
The Java wrapper classes, such as Integer
and Float
, are useful in cases where NULL
may be returned by the SQL statement. Primitive types, such as int
and float
, cannot contain null values.
See Also:
"NULL-Handling"The SQLJ stream classes are required in using streams as host variables.
See Also:
"Support for Streams"Weak types cannot be used for OUT
or INOUT
parameters. This applies to the Struct
, Ref
, and Array
standard JDBC 2.0 types, as well as to corresponding Oracle extended types.
A new set of interfaces, in the oracle.jdbc
package, was first added in the Oracle9i JDBC implementation in place of classes of the oracle.jdbc.driver
package. These interfaces provide a more generic way for users to access Oracle-specific features using Oracle JDBC drivers. Specifically, when creating programs for the middle tier, you should use the oracle.jdbc
application programming interface (API). However, SQLJ programmers will not typically use these interfaces directly. They are used transparently by the SQLJ run time or in Oracle-specific generated code.
For information about SQLJ support for result set and iterator host variables, refer to "Using Iterators and Result Sets as Host Variables".
The following points relate to Oracle extensions:
The Oracle SQLJ implementation requires any class that implements oracle.sql.ORAData
to set the static _SQL_TYPECODE
parameter according to values defined in the OracleTypes
class. In some cases, an additional parameter must be set as well, such as _SQL_NAME
for objects and _SQL_BASETYPE
for object references. This occurs automatically if you use the Oracle JPublisher utility to generate the class.
The oracle.sql
classes are wrappers for SQL data for each of the Oracle data types. The ARRAY
, STRUCT
, REF
, BLOB
, and CLOB
classes correspond to standard JDBC 2.0 interfaces.
See Also:
Oracle Database JDBC Developer's Guide and Reference for information about these classes and Oracle extensionsCustom Java classes can map to Oracle objects, which implement ORAData
or SQLData
, references, which implement ORAData
only, collections, which implement ORAData
only, OPAQUE
types, which implement ORAData
only, or other SQL types for customized handling, which implement ORAData
only. You can use the Oracle JPublisher utility to automatically generate custom Java classes.
The Oracle SQLJ implementation has functionality for automatic blank padding when comparing a string to a CHAR
column value for a WHERE
clause. Otherwise the string would have to be padded to match the number of characters in the database column. This is available as a SQLJ translator option for Oracle-specific code generation, or as an Oracle customizer option for ISO standard code generation.
Weak types cannot be used for OUT
or INOUT
parameters. This applies to the STRUCT
, REF
, and ARRAY
Oracle extended types and corresponding standard JDBC 2.0 types, as well as to Oracle OPAQUE
types.
Using any of the Oracle extensions requires the following:
Oracle JDBC driver
Oracle-specific code generation or Oracle customization during translation
Oracle SQLJ run time when your application runs
As indicated in Table 5-1, the Oracle JDBC and SQLJ implementations support JDBC 2.0 types in the standard java.sql
package. This section lists JDBC 2.0 supported types and related Oracle extensions.
Table 5-2 lists the JDBC 2.0 types supported by the Oracle SQLJ implementation. You can use them wherever you can use the corresponding Oracle extensions, summarized in the table.
The Oracle extensions have been available in prior releases and are still available as well. These oracle.sql.*
classes provide functionality to wrap raw SQL data.
Table 5-2 Correlation between Oracle Extensions and JDBC 2.0 Types
JDBC 2.0 Type | Oracle Extension |
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ORAData
functionality is an Oracle-specific alternative to standard SQLData
functionality for Java support of user-defined types.
See Also:
"Custom Java Classes", "Support for BLOB, CLOB, and BFILE", and "Support for Weakly Typed Objects, References, and Collections"The following JDBC 2.0 types are currently not supported in the Oracle JDBC and SQLJ implementations:
JAVA_OBJECT
: Represents an instance of a Java type in a SQL column.
DISTINCT
: A distinct SQL type represented in or retrievable from a basic SQL type. For example, SHOESIZE
--> NUMBER
.
Note:
Beginning with Oracle Database 11g, the Oracle SQLJ implementation supports the ISO SQLJ feature of allowing array types for iterator columns. You can declare an iterator that usesjava.sql.Array
or oracle.sql.ARRAY
columns. For example, suppose the following database table is defined:
CREATE OR REPLACE TYPE arr_type IS VARRAY(20) OF NUMBER; CREATE TABLE arr_type (arr_col1 arr_type, arr_col2 arr_type);
You could define a corresponding iterator type as follows:
#sql static iterator MyIter (oracle.sql.ARRAY arr_col1, java.sql.Array arr_col2);
The Oracle SQLJ and JDBC implementations do not support calling arguments or return values of the PL/SQL BOOLEAN
type or RECORD types.
The Oracle JDBC drivers support scalar PL/SQL indexed-by tables.
The Oracle SQLJ implementation simplifies the process of writing and retrieving data in scalar indexed-by tables. The following array types are supported:
Numeric types: int[]
, long[]
, float[]
, double[]
, short[]
, java.math.BigDecimal[]
, oracle.sql.NUMBER[]
Character types: java.lang.String[]
, oracle.sql.CHAR[]
The following is an example of writing indexed-by table data to the database:
int[] vals = {1,2,3}; #sql { call procin(:vals) };
The following is an example of retrieving indexed-by table data from the database:
oracle.sql.CHAR[] outvals; #sql { call procout(:OUT outvals/*[111](22)*/) };
You must specify the maximum length of the output array being retrieved, using the [xxx]
syntax inside the /*...*/
syntax, as shown. Also, for character-like binds, you can optionally include the (xx)
syntax, as shown, to specify the maximum length of an array element in bytes.
Note:
Theoracle.sql.Datum
class is not supported directly. You must use an appropriate subclass, such as oracle.sql.CHAR
or oracle.sql.NUMBER
.Workarounds for Unsupported Types
As a workaround for an unsupported type, you can create wrapper procedures that process the data using supported types. For example, to wrap a stored procedure that uses PL/SQL boolean values, you can create a stored procedure that takes a character or number from JDBC and passes it to the original procedure as BOOLEAN
, or for an output parameter, accepts a BOOLEAN
argument from the original procedure and passes it as a CHAR
or NUMBER
to JDBC. Similarly, to wrap a stored procedure that uses PL/SQL records, you can create a stored procedure that handles a record in its individual components, such as CHAR
and NUMBER
. To wrap a stored procedure that uses PL/SQL TABLE types, you can break the data into components or perhaps use Oracle collection types.
The following is an example of a PL/SQL wrapper procedure MY_PROC
for a stored procedure PROC
that takes a BOOLEAN
as input:
PROCEDURE MY_PROC (n NUMBER) IS BEGIN IF n=0 THEN proc(false); ELSE proc(true); END IF; END; PROCEDURE PROC (b BOOLEAN) IS BEGIN ... END;
Note:
When using these unsupported PL/SQL types in method signatures in PL/SQL packages or SQL objects, consider using the Oracle Database 11g JPublisher utility. This facilitates the creation of Java types to call such methods. Refer to "JPublisher and the Creation of Custom Java Classes" for an overview of JPublisher, and the Oracle Database JPublisher User's Guide for more information.This section summarizes backward compatibility issues when using the Oracle SQLJ implementation with earlier Oracle JDBC releases.
In Oracle Database 11g release 1 (11.1), SQLJ fully supports applications developed in Oracle9i Database and Oracle Database 10g release 1 (10.1). However, in Oracle Database 11g release 1 (11.1), JDBC resources are no longer closed by the SQLJ run time resource finalizers. Therefore, some applications developed prior to Oracle Database 11g release 1 (11.1) may observe JDBC connection and statement leaking. To prevent such leaking, you must properly close all the SQLJ run-time resources, such as connection context, execution context, and iterator, in your SQLJ applications.
Notes:
Oracle9i release 2 first added support for OPAQUE types and TIMESTAMP types.Backward Compatibility for Oracle8i Database
The following Oracle Database 11g features, which are also available in Oracle9i Database, are not supported or supported differently in the Oracle8i JDBC drivers:
The oracle.sql.ORAData
and ORADataFactory
interfaces for Java mapping of user-defined SQL types
Use the oracle.sql.CustomDatum
and CustomDatumFactory
interfaces instead.
Oracle extensions for character types for globalization support: NCHAR
, NCLOB
, NString
, and NcharCharacterStream
(or NcharAsciiStream
and NcharUnicodeStream
in earlier releases)
Standard SQLJ provides the following specialized classes for convenient processing of long data in streams:
sqlj.runtime.BinaryStream
sqlj.runtime.CharacterStream
These stream types can be used for iterator columns to retrieve data from the database or for input host variables to send data to the database. As with Java streams in general, these classes allow the convenience of processing and transferring large data items in manageable chunks.
This section discusses general use of these classes, Oracle SQLJ extended functionality, and stream class methods. It covers the following topics:
Note:
As of JDBC 2.0, theCharacterStream
class replaces the AsciiStream
and UnicodeStream
classes. CharacterStream
shelters users from unnecessary logistics regarding encoding. The AsciiStream
and UnicodeStream
classes are still supported for backward compatibility, but are deprecated.Table 5-1 lists the data types you would typically process using these stream classes. To summarize:
BinaryStream
is typically used for LONG RAW
(Types.LONGVARBINARY
), but might also be used for RAW
(Types.BINARY
or Types.VARBINARY
).
CharacterStream
is typically used for LONG
(java.sql.Types.LONGVARCHAR
), but might also be used for VARCHAR2
(Types.VARCHAR
).
Of course, any use of streams is at your discretion. You can use the SQLJ stream types for host variables to either send or retrieve data.
As Table 5-1 documents, LONG
and VARCHAR2
data can also be manifested in Java String
, while RAW
and LONGRAW
data can also be manifested in Java byte[]
arrays. Also, if your database supports large object types, such as BLOB
and CLOB
, then you may find these to be preferable to types like LONG
and LONG RAW
, although streams might still be used in extracting data from large objects. The Oracle SQLJ and JDBC implementations support large object types.
See Also:
"Support for BLOB, CLOB, and BFILE"Both SQLJ stream classes are subclasses of standard Java classes, java.io.InputStream
for BinaryStream
and java.io.Reader
for CharacterStream
, and act as wrappers to provide the functionality required by SQLJ. This functionality is to communicate to SQLJ the type and length of the underlying data so that it can be processed and formatted properly.
The following abbreviated code illustrates key aspects of the BinaryStream
class, such as what it extends, constructor signatures, and key method signatures:
public class sqlj.runtime.BinaryStream extends sqlj.runtime.StreamWrapper { public sqlj.runtime.BinaryStream(java.io.InputStream); public sqlj.runtime.BinaryStream(java.io.InputStream,int); public java.io.InputStream getInputStream(); public int getLength(); public void setLength(int); }
The following abbreviated code illustrates key aspects of the CharacterStream
class:
public class sqlj.runtime.CharacterStream extends java.io.FilterReader { public sqlj.runtime.CharacterStream(java.io.Reader); public sqlj.runtime.CharacterStream(java.io.Reader,int); public int getLength(); public java.io.Reader getReader(); public void setLength(int); }
Notes:
The int
parameters in the constructors are for data length, in bytes or characters as applicable.
For any method that takes a java.io.InputStream
object as input, you can use a BinaryStream
object instead. Similarly, for any method that takes a java.io.Reader
object as input, you can use a CharacterStream
object instead.
The deprecated AsciiStream
and UnicodeStream
classes have the same key aspects and signatures as BinaryStream
.
Standard SQLJ enables you to use streams as host variables to update the database. A key point in sending a SQLJ stream to the database is that you must somehow determine the length of the data and specify that length to the constructor of the SQLJ stream.
You can use a SQLJ stream to send data to the database as follows:
Determine the length of the data.
Create an appropriate standard Java data object for input. For BinaryStream
, this would be an input stream, an instance of java.io.InputStream
or some subclass. For CharacterStream
, this would be a reader object, an instance of java.io.Reader
or some subclass.
Create an instance of the appropriate SQLJ stream class depending on the type of data, passing the data object and length to the constructor.
Use the SQLJ stream instance as a host variable in a suitable SQL operation in a SQLJ executable statement.
Close the stream.
Note:
Although not required, it is recommended that you close the stream after using it.Updating LONG or LONG RAW from a File
This section illustrates how to create a CharacterStream
object or a BinaryStream
object from a File
object and use it to update the database. The code example at the end uses a CharacterStream
for a LONG
column.
In updating a database column from a file, a step is needed to determine the length. You can do this by creating a java.io.File
object before you create your input stream.
Following are the steps for updating the database from a file:
Create a java.io.File
object from your file. You can specify the file path name to the File
class constructor.
Use the length()
method of the File
object to determine the length of the data. This method returns a long
value, which you must cast to an int
for input to the SQLJ stream class constructor.
Note:
Before performing this cast, test thelong
value to ensure that it is not too big to fit into an int
variable. The static constant MAX_VALUE
in the class java.lang.Integer
indicates the largest possible Java int
value.For character data, create a java.io.FileReader
object from the File
object. You can pass the File
object to the FileReader
constructor.
For binary data, create a java.io.FileInputStream
object from the File
object. You can pass the File
object to the FileInputStream
constructor.
Create an appropriate SQLJ stream object. This would be a CharacterStream
object for a character file or a BinaryStream
object for a binary file. Pass the FileReader
or FileInputStream
object, as applicable, and the data length as an int
to the SQLJ stream class constructor.
Use the SQLJ stream object as a host variable in an appropriate SQL operation in a SQLJ executable statement.
The following is an example of writing LONG
data to the database from a file. Presume you have an HTML file in /private/mydir/myfile.html
and want to insert the file contents into a LONG
column, chardata
, in the filetable
database table.
import java.io.*; import sqlj.runtime.*; ... File myfile = new File ("/private/mydir/myfile.html"); int length = (int)myfile.length(); // Must cast long output to int. FileReader filereader = new FileReader(myfile); CharacterStream charstream = new CharacterStream(filereader, length); #sql { INSERT INTO filetable (chardata) VALUES (:charstream) }; charstream.close(); ...
Updating LONG RAW from a Byte Array
This section illustrates how to create a BinaryStream
object from a byte array and uses it to update the database.
You must determine the length of the data before updating the database from a byte array. This is more trivial for arrays than for files, though, because all Java arrays have functionality to return the length.
Following are the steps in updating the database from a byte array:
Use the length
functionality of the array to determine the length of the data. This returns an int
, which is what you will need for the constructor of any of the SQLJ stream classes.
Create a java.io.ByteArrayInputStream
object from your array. You can pass the byte array to the ByteArrayInputStream
constructor.
Create a BinaryStream
object. Pass the ByteArrayInputStream
object and data length as an int
to the BinaryStream
class constructor.
The constructor signature is as follows:
BinaryStream (InputStream in, int length)
You can use an instance of java.io.InputStream
or of any subclass, such as the ByteArrayInputStream
class.
Use the SQLJ stream object as a host variable in an appropriate SQL operation in a SQLJ executable statement.
The following is an example of writing LONG RAW
data to the database from a byte array. Presume you have a byte array, bytearray[]
, and you want to insert its contents into a LONG RAW
column, BINDATA
, in the BINTABLE
database table.
import java.io.*; import sqlj.runtime.*; ... byte[] bytearray = new byte[100]; (Populate bytearray somehow.) ... int length = bytearray.length; ByteArrayInputStream arraystream = new ByteArrayInputStream(bytearray); BinaryStream binstream = new BinaryStream(arraystream, length); #sql { INSERT INTO bintable (bindata) VALUES (:binstream) }; binstream.close(); ...
Note:
It is not necessary to use a stream as in this example. Alternatively, you can update the database directly from a byte array.You can also use the SQLJ stream classes to retrieve data, but the logistics of using streams make certain precautions necessary with some database products. When reading long data and writing it to a stream using Oracle Database 11g and an Oracle JDBC driver, you must be careful in how you access and process the stream data.
As the Oracle JDBC drivers access data from an iterator row, they must flush any stream item from the communications pipe before accessing the next data item. Even though the stream data is written to a local stream while the iterator row is processed, this stream data will be lost if you do not read it from the local stream before the JDBC driver accesses the next data item. This is because of the manner in which streams must be processed, which is due to their potentially large size and unknown length.
Therefore, as soon as your Oracle JDBC driver has accessed a stream item and written it to a local stream variable, you must read and process the local stream before anything else is accessed from the iterator.
This is especially problematic in using positional iterators, with their requisite FETCH INTO
syntax. With each fetch, all columns are read before any are processed. Therefore, there can be only one stream item and it must be the last item accessed.
The precautions you must take can be summarized as follows:
When using a positional iterator, you can have only one stream column and it must be the last column. As soon as you have fetched each row of the iterator, writing the stream item to a local input stream variable in the process, you must read and process the local stream variable before advancing to the next row of the iterator.
When using a named iterator, you can have multiple stream columns. However, as you process each iterator row, each time you access a stream field, writing the data to a local stream variable in the process, you must read and process the local stream immediately, before reading anything else from the iterator.
Furthermore, in processing each row of a named iterator, you must call the column accessor methods in the same order in which the database columns were selected in the query that populated the iterator. As mentioned in the preceding discussion, this is because stream data remains in the communications pipe after the query. If you try to access columns out of order, then the stream data may be skipped over and lost in the course of accessing other columns.
Note:
Oracle Database 11g and the Oracle JDBC drivers do not support use of streams inSELECT INTO
statements.To retrieve data as a stream, standard SQLJ enables you to select data into a named or positional iterator that has a column of the appropriate SQLJ stream type.
This section covers the basic steps in retrieving data into a SQLJ stream using a positional iterator or a named iterator, taking into account the precautions documented in the preceding section.
Using a SQLJ Stream Column in a Positional Iterator
Use the following steps to retrieve data into a SQLJ stream using a positional iterator:
Declare a positional iterator class with the last column being of the appropriate SQLJ stream type.
Declare a local variable of your iterator type.
Declare a local variable of the appropriate SQLJ stream type. This will be used as a host variable to receive data from each row of the SQLJ stream column of the iterator.
Execute a query to populate the iterator you declared in Step 2.
Process the iterator as usual. Because the host variables in the INTO
-list of the FETCH INTO
statement must be in the same order as the columns of the positional iterator, the local input stream variable is the last host variable in the list.
See Also:
"Using Positional Iterators"In the iterator processing loop, after each iterator row is accessed, immediately read and process the local input stream, storing or printing the stream data as desired.
Close the local input stream each time through the iterator processing loop.
Close the iterator.
Using SQLJ Stream Columns in a Named Iterator
Use the following steps to retrieve data into one or more SQLJ streams using a named iterator:
Declare a named iterator class with one or more columns of appropriate SQLJ stream type.
Declare a local variable of your iterator type.
Declare a local variable of some input stream or reader type for each SQLJ stream column in the iterator. These will be used to receive data from the stream-column accessor methods. These local stream variables need not be of the SQLJ stream types. They can be standard java.io.InputStream
or java.io.Reader
, as applicable.
Note:
The local stream variables need not be of the SQLJ stream types, because the data was already correctly formatted as a result of the iterator columns being of appropriate SQLJ stream types.Execute a query to populate the iterator you declared in Step 2.
Process the iterator as usual. In processing each row of the iterator, as each stream-column accessor method returns the stream data, write it to the corresponding local input stream variable you declared in Step 3.
To ensure that stream data will not be lost, call the column accessor methods in the same order in which columns were selected in the query in Step 4.
See Also:
"Using Positional Iterators"In the iterator processing loop, immediately after calling the accessor method for any stream column and writing the data to a local input stream variable, read and process the local input stream, storing or printing the stream data as desired.
Close the local input stream each time through the iterator processing loop.
Close the iterator.
Notes:
When you populate a SQLJ stream object with data, the length attribute of the stream will not be meaningful. This attribute is meaningful only when you set it explicitly, either using the setLength()
method that each SQLJ stream class provides or specifying the length to the constructor.
Although not required, it is recommended that you close the local input stream each time through the iterator processing loop.
In processing a SQLJ stream column in a named or positional iterator, the local stream variable used to receive the stream data can be either a SQLJ stream type or the standard java.io.InputStream
or java.io.Reader
type, as applicable. In either case, standard methods of the input data object are supported.
If the local stream variable is a SQLJ stream type, BinaryStream
or CharacterStream
, you have the option of either reading data directly from the SQLJ stream object or retrieving the underlying InputStream
or Reader
object and reading data from that.
Note:
This is just a matter of preference. The former approach is simpler. However, the latter approach involves more direct and efficient data access.The BinaryStream
class is a subclass of the sqlj.runtime.StreamWrapper
class. The StreamWrapper
class provides the following key methods:
InputStream getInputStream()
: You can optionally use this method to get the underlying java.io.InputStream
object. However, this is not required, because you can also process SQLJ stream objects directly.
void setLength(int length)
: You can use this to set the length
attribute of a SQLJ stream object. This is not necessary if you have already set length
in constructing the stream object, unless you want to change it for some reason.
The length
attribute must be set to an appropriate value before you send a SQLJ stream to the database.
int getLength()
: This method returns the value of the length
attribute of a SQLJ stream. This value is meaningful only if you explicitly set it using the stream object constructor or the setLength()
method. When you retrieve data into a stream, the length
attribute is not set automatically.
The sqlj.runtime.StreamWrapper
class is a subclass of the java.io.FilterInputStream
class, which is a subclass of the java.io.InputStream
class. The following important methods of the InputStream
class are supported by the SQLJ BinaryStream
class as well:
int read ()
: Reads the next byte of data from the input stream. The byte of data is returned as an int
value in the range 0 to 255. If the end of the stream has already been reached, then the value -1
is returned. This method blocks program execution until one of the following:
Input data is available
The end of the stream is detected
An exception is thrown
int read (byte b[])
: Reads up to b.length
bytes of data from the input stream, writing the data into the specified b[]
byte array. It returns an int
value indicating how many bytes were read, or -1
if the end of the stream has already been reached. This method blocks program execution until input is available.
int read (byte b[], int off, int len)
: Reads up to len
bytes of data from the input stream, starting at the byte specified by the offset, off
, and writing the data into the specified b[]
byte array. It returns an int
value indicating how many bytes were read, or -1
if the end of the stream has already been reached. This method blocks until input is available.
long skip (long n)
: Skips over and discards n
bytes of data from the input stream. However, in some circumstances, this method will actually skip a smaller number of bytes. It returns a long
value indicating the actual number of bytes skipped.
void close()
: Closes the stream and releases any associated resources.
The CharacterStream
class provides the following key methods:
Reader getReader()
: You can optionally use this method to get the underlying java.io.Reader
object. However, this is not required, because you can also process SQLJ stream objects directly.
void setLength(int length)
: You can use this method to set the length of the stream object.
int getLength()
: You can use this method to get the length of the stream object.
The sqlj.runtime.CharacterStream
class is a subclass of the java.io.FilterReader
class, which is a subclass of the java.io.Reader
class. The following important methods of the Reader
class are supported by the SQLJ CharacterStream
class as well:
int read ()
: Reads the next character of data from the reader. The data is returned as an int
value in the range 0 to 65535. If the end of the data has already been reached, then the value -1
is returned. This method blocks program execution until one of the following:
Input data is available
The end of the data is detected
An exception is thrown
int read (char cbuf[])
: Reads characters into an array, writing the data into the specified cbuf[]
char array. It returns an int
value indicating how many characters were read, or -1
if the end of the data has already been reached. This method blocks program execution until input is available.
int read (char cbuf[], int off, int len)
: Reads up to len
characters of data from the input, starting at the character specified by the offset, off
, and writing the data into the specified char[]
char array. It returns an int
value indicating how many characters were read, or -1
if the end of the data has already been reached. This method blocks until input is available.
long skip (long n)
: Skips over and discards n
characters of data from the input. However, in some circumstances, this method will actually skip a smaller number of characters. It returns a long
value indicating the actual number of characters skipped.
void close()
: Closes the stream and releases any associated resources.
This section provides examples of various scenarios of retrieving stream data, as follows:
Using a SELECT
statement to select data from a LONG
column and populate a SQLJ CharacterStream
column in a named iterator, as shown in Example 5-1
Using a SELECT
statement to select data from a LONG RAW
column and populate a SQLJ BinaryStream
column in a positional iterator, as shown in Example 5-2
Example 5-1 Selecting LONG Data into CharacterStream Column of Named Iterator
This example selects data from a LONG
database column, populating a SQLJ CharacterStream
column in a named iterator.
Assume there is a table named FILETABLE
with a VARCHAR2
column called FILENAME
that contains file names and a LONG
column called FILECONTENTS
that contains file contents in character format. The code is as follows:
import sqlj.runtime.*; import java.io.*; ... #sql iterator MyNamedIter (String filename, CharacterStream filecontents); ... MyNamedIter namediter = null; String fname; CharacterStream charstream; #sql namediter = { SELECT filename, filecontents FROM filetable }; while (namediter.next()) { fname = namediter.filename(); charstream = namediter.filecontents(); System.out.println("Contents for file " + fname + ":"); printStream(charstream); charstream.close(); } namediter.close(); ... public void printStream(Reader in) throws IOException { int character; while ((character = in.read()) != -1) { System.out.print((char)character); } }
Remember that you can pass a SQLJ character stream to any method that takes a standard java.io.Reader
as an input parameter.
Example 5-2 : Selecting LONG RAW Data into BinaryStream Column of Positional Iterator
This example selects data from a LONG RAW
column, populating a SQLJ BinaryStream
column in a positional iterator.
As explained in the preceding section, there can be only one stream column in a positional iterator and it must be the last column. Assume there is a table named BINTABLE
with a NUMBER
column called IDENTIFIER
and a LONG RAW
column called BINDATA
that contains binary data associated with the identifier. The code is as follows:
import sqlj.runtime.*;
...
#sql iterator MyPosIter (int, BinaryStream);
...
MyPosIter positer = null;
int id=0;
BinaryStream binstream=null;
#sql positer = { SELECT identifier, bindata FROM bintable };
while (true) {
#sql { FETCH :positer INTO :id, :binstream };
if (positer.endFetch()) break;
(...process data as desired...)
binstream.close();
}
positer.close();
...
As described in the preceding sections, standard SQLJ supports the use of the BinaryStream
and CharacterStream
classes in the sqlj.runtime
package for retrieval of stream data into iterator columns.
In addition, the Oracle SQLJ implementation enables the following uses of the SQLJ stream types if you use Oracle9i Database or later version, an Oracle JDBC driver, Oracle-specific code generation or the Oracle customizer, and the Oracle SQLJ run time:
They can appear as OUT
or INOUT
host variables from a stored procedure or function call.
They can appear as the return value from a stored function call.
Streams as Stored Procedure Output Parameters
You can use the BinaryStream
and CharacterStream
types as the assignment type for a stored procedure or stored function OUT
or INOUT
parameter.
Assume the following table definition:
CREATE TABLE streamexample (name VARCHAR2 (256), data LONG); INSERT INTO streamexample (data, name) VALUES ('0000000000111111111112222222222333333333344444444445555555555', 'StreamExample');
Also, presume the following stored procedure definition, which uses the STREAMEXAMPLE
table:
CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE out_longdata (dataname VARCHAR2, longdata OUT LONG) IS BEGIN SELECT data INTO longdata FROM streamexample WHERE name = dataname; END out_longdata;
The following sample code uses a call to the out_longdata
stored procedure to read the long data:
import sqlj.runtime.*; ... CharacterStream data; #sql { CALL out_longdata('StreamExample', :OUT data) }; int c; while ((c = data.read ()) != -1) System.out.print((char)c); System.out.flush(); data.close(); ...
Note:
Closing the stream is recommended, but not required.Streams as Stored Function Results
You can use the BinaryStream
and CharacterStream
types as the assignment type for a stored function return result.
Assume the same STREAMEXAMPLE
table definition as in the preceding stored procedure example. Also, assume the following stored function definition, which uses the STREAMEXAMPLE
table:
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION get_longdata (dataname VARCHAR2) RETURN long IS longdata LONG; BEGIN SELECT data INTO longdata FROM streamexample WHERE name = dataname; RETURN longdata; END get_longdata;
The following sample code uses a call to the get_longdata
stored function to read the long data:
import sqlj.runtime.*; ... CharacterStream data; #sql data = { VALUES(get_longdata('StreamExample')) }; int c; while ((c = data.read ()) != -1) System.out.print((char)c); System.out.flush(); data.close(); ...
Note:
Closing the stream is recommended, but not required.The Oracle SQLJ implementation offers extended functionality for the following JDBC 2.0 and Oracle-specific data types:
JDBC 2.0 large object (LOB) types (BLOB
and CLOB
)
Oracle BFILE
type
Oracle ROWID
type
Oracle REF CURSOR types
Other Oracle Database 11g data types, such as NUMBER
and RAW
These data types are supported by classes in the oracle.sql
package. LOBs and binary files (BFILEs) are handled similarly in many ways, so are discussed together. Additionally, the Oracle SQLJ implementation offers extended support for the standard BigDecimal JDBC type.
JDBC 2.0 functionality for user-defined SQL objects, object references, and collections are also supported.
Note that using Oracle extensions in your code requires the following:
Use one of the Oracle JDBC drivers.
Use Oracle-specific code generation or for ISO code generation, customize the profiles appropriately. The default customizer, oracle.sqlj.runtime.util.OraCustomizer
, is recommended.
Use the Oracle SQLJ run time when your application runs.
The Oracle SQLJ run time and an Oracle JDBC driver are required whenever you use the Oracle customizer, even if you do not actually use Oracle extensions in your code.
For Oracle-specific semantics-checking, you must use an appropriate checker. The default checker, oracle.sqlj.checker.OracleChecker
, acts as a front end and will run the appropriate checker based on your environment. This will be one of the Oracle-specific checkers if you are using an Oracle JDBC driver.
This section covers the following topics:
SQLJ users, as well as JDBC users, should be aware of the oracle.sql
package, which includes classes to support all the Oracle Database 11g data types, such as oracle.sql.ROWID
, oracle.sql.CLOB
, and oracle.sql.NUMBER
. The oracle.sql
classes are wrappers for the raw SQL data and provide appropriate mappings and conversion methods to Java formats. An oracle.sql.*
object contains a binary representation of the corresponding SQL data in the form of a byte array. Each oracle.sql.*
data type class is a subclass of the oracle.sql.Datum
class.
For Oracle-specific semantics-checking, you must use an appropriate checker. The default checker, oracle.sqlj.checker.OracleChecker
, acts as a front end and will run the appropriate checker based on your environment. This will be one of the Oracle-specific checkers if you are using an Oracle JDBC driver.
The Oracle SQLJ and JDBC implementations support JDBC 2.0 LOB types and provide similar support for the Oracle-specific BFILE
type (read-only binary files stored outside the database). These data types are supported by the following classes:
oracle.sql.BLOB
oracle.sql.CLOB
oracle.sql.BFILE
These classes can be used in Oracle-specific SQLJ applications in the following ways:
As IN
, OUT
, or INOUT
host variables in executable SQLJ statements and in INTO
-lists
As return values from stored function calls
As column types in iterator declarations
See Also:
Oracle Database JDBC Developer's Guide and Reference for more information about LOBs and BFILEs and use of supported stream APIs.You can manipulate LOBs by using methods defined in the BLOB
and CLOB
classes, which is recommended, or by using the procedures and functions defined in the DBMS_LOB
PL/SQL package. All procedures and functions defined in this package can be called by SQLJ programs.
You can manipulate BFILEs by using methods defined in the BFILE
class, which is recommended, or by using the file-handling routines of the DBMS_LOB
package.
Using methods of the BLOB
, CLOB
, and BFILE
classes in a Java application is more convenient than using the DBMS_LOB
package and may also lead to faster execution in some cases.
Note that the type of the chunk being read or written depends on the kind of LOB being manipulated. For example, character large objects (CLOBs) contain character data and, therefore, Java strings are used to hold chunks of data. Binary large objects (BLOBs) contain binary data and, therefore, Java byte arrays are used to hold chunks of data.
Note:
TheDBMS_LOB
package requires a round trip to the server. Methods in the BLOB
, CLOB
, and BFILE
classes may also result in a round trip to the server.BFILE Class versus DBMS_LOB Functionality for BFILEs
Example 5-3 and Example 5-4 contrast use of the oracle.sql
methods with use of the DBMS_LOB
package for BFILEs:
Example 5-3 Use of oracle.sql.BFILE File-Handling Methods with BFILE
This example manipulates a BFILE using file-handling methods of the oracle.sql.BFILE
class.
BFILE openFile (BFILE file) throws SQLException { String dirAlias, name; dirAlias = file.getDirAlias(); name = file.getName(); System.out.println("name: " + dirAlias + "/" + name); if (!file.isFileOpen()) { file.openFile(); } return file; }
The BFILE
getDirAlias()
and getName()
methods construct the full path and file name. The openFile()
method opens the file. You cannot manipulate BFILEs until they have been opened.
Example 5-4 Use of DBMS_LOB File-Handling Routines with BFILE
This example manipulates a BFILE using file-handling routines of the DBMS_LOB
package.
BFILE openFile(BFILE file) throws SQLException { String dirAlias, name; #sql { CALL dbms_lob.filegetname(:file, :out dirAlias, :out name) }; System.out.println("name: " + dirAlias + "/" + name); boolean isOpen; #sql isOpen = { VALUES(dbms_lob.fileisopen(:file)) }; if (!isOpen) { #sql { CALL dbms_lob.fileopen(:inout file) }; } return file; }
The openFile()
method prints the name of a file object and then returns an opened version of the file. Note that BFILEs can be manipulated only after being opened with a call to DBMS_LOB.FILEOPEN
or equivalent method in the BFILE
class.
BLOB and CLOB Classes versus DBMS_LOB Functionality for LOBs
Example 5-5 and Example 5-6 contrast use of the oracle.sql
methods with use of the DBMS_LOB
package for BLOBs, and Example 5-7 and Example 5-8 contrast use of the oracle.sql
methods with use of the DBMS_LOB
package for CLOBs.
Example 5-5 Example: Use of oracle.sql.CLOB Read Methods with CLOB
This example reads data from a CLOB using methods of the oracle.sql.CLOB
class.
void readFromClob(CLOB clob) throws SQLException { long clobLen, readLen; String chunk; clobLen = clob.length(); for (long i = 0; i < clobLen; i+= readLen) { chunk = clob.getSubString(i, 10); readLen = chunk.length(); System.out.println("read " + readLen + " chars: " + chunk); } }
This method contains a loop that reads from the CLOB and returns a 10-character Java string each time. The loop continues until the entire CLOB has been read.
Example 5-6 Example: Use of DBMS_LOB Read Routines with CLOB
This example uses routines of the DBMS_LOB
package to read from a CLOB.
void readFromClob(CLOB clob) throws SQLException { long clobLen, readLen; String chunk; #sql clobLen = { VALUES(dbms_lob.getlength(:clob)) }; for (long i = 1; i <= clobLen; i += readLen) { readLen = 10; #sql { CALL dbms_lob.read(:clob, :inout readLen, :i, :out chunk) }; System.out.println("read " + readLen + " chars: " + chunk); } }
This method reads the contents of a CLOB in chunks of 10 characters at a time. Note that the chunk host variable is of the String
type.
Example 5-7 Example: Use of oracle.sql.BLOB Write Routines with BLOB
This example writes data to a BLOB using methods of the oracle.sql.BLOB
class. Input a BLOB and specified length.
void writeToBlob(BLOB blob, long blobLen) throws SQLException { byte[] chunk = { 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 }; long chunkLen = (long)chunk.length; for (long i = 0; i < blobLen; i+= chunkLen) { if (blobLen < chunkLen) chunkLen = blobLen; chunk[0] = (byte)(i+1); chunkLen = blob.putBytes(i, chunk); } }
This method goes through a loop that writes to the BLOB in 10-byte chunks until the specified BLOB length has been reached.
Example 5-8 Example: Use of DBMS_LOB Write Routines with BLOB
This example uses routines of the DBMS_LOB
package to write to a BLOB.
void writeToBlob(BLOB blob, long blobLen) throws SQLException { byte[] chunk = { 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 }; long chunkLen = (long)chunk.length; for (long i = 1; i <= blobLen; i += chunkLen) { if ((blobLen - i + 1) < chunkLen) chunkLen = blobLen - i + 1; chunk[0] = (byte)i; #sql { CALL dbms_lob.write(:INOUT blob, :chunkLen, :i, :chunk) }; } }
This method fills the contents of a BLOB in 10-byte chunks. Note that the chunk host variable is of the byte[]
type.
LOB and BFILE Stored Function Results
Host variables of the BLOB
, CLOB
, and BFILE
type can be assigned to the result of a stored function call. The following example is for a CLOB, but code for BLOBs and BFILEs would be functionally the same.
First, presume the following function definition:
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION longer_clob (c1 CLOB, c2 CLOB) RETURN CLOB IS result CLOB; BEGIN IF dbms_lob.getLength(c2) > dbms_lob.getLength(c1) THEN result := c2; ELSE result := c1; END IF; RETURN result; END longer_clob;
The following example uses a CLOB as the assignment type for a return value from the longer_clob
function:
void readFromLongest(CLOB c1, CLOB c2) throws SQLException { CLOB longest; #sql longest = { VALUES(longer_clob(:c1, :c2)) }; readFromClob(longest); }
The readFromLongest()
method prints the contents of the longer passed CLOB, using the readFromClob()
method defined previously.
LOB and BFILE Host Variables and SELECT INTO Targets
Host variables of the BLOB
, CLOB
, and BFILE
type can appear in the INTO
-list of a SELECT INTO
executable statement. The following example is for a BLOB and CLOB, but code for BFILEs would be functionally the same.
Assume the following table definition:
CREATE TABLE basic_lob_table(x VARCHAR2(30), b BLOB, c CLOB); INSERT INTO basic_lob_table VALUES('one', '010101010101010101010101010101', 'onetwothreefour'); INSERT INTO basic_lob_table VALUES('two', '020202020202020202020202020202', 'twothreefourfivesix');
The following example uses a BLOB and a CLOB as host variables that receive data from the table defined, using a SELECT INTO
statement:
... BLOB blob; CLOB clob; #sql { SELECT one.b, two.c INTO :blob, :clob FROM basic_lob_table one, basic_lob_table two WHERE one.x='one' AND two.x='two' }; #sql { INSERT INTO basic_lob_table VALUES('three', :blob, :clob) }; ...
This example selects the BLOB from the first row and the CLOB from the second row of BASIC_LOB_TABLE
. It then inserts a third row into the table using the BLOB and CLOB selected in the previous operation.
LOBs and BFILEs in Iterator Declarations
The BLOB
, CLOB
, and BFILE
types can be used as column types for SQLJ positional and named iterators. Such iterators can be populated as a result of compatible executable SQLJ operations.
Following are sample declarations:
#sql iterator NamedLOBIter(CLOB c); #sql iterator PositionedLOBIter(BLOB); #sql iterator NamedFILEIter(BFILE bf);
LOB and BFILE Host Variables and Named Iterator Results
The following example uses the BASIC_LOB_TABLE
table and the readFromLongest()
method defined in previous examples and a CLOB in a named iterator. Similar code could be written for BLOBs and BFILEs.
#sql iterator NamedLOBIter(CLOB c); ... NamedLOBIter iter; #sql iter = { SELECT c FROM basic_lob_table }; if (iter.next()) CLOB c1 = iter.c(); if (iter.next()) CLOB c2 = iter.c(); iter.close(); readFromLongest(c1, c2); ...
This example uses an iterator to select two CLOBs from the first two rows of BASIC_LOB_TABLE
, then prints the larger of the two using the readFromLongest()
method.
LOB and BFILE Host Variables and Positional Iterator FETCH INTO Targets
Host variables of the BLOB
, CLOB
, and BFILE
type can be used with positional iterators and appear in the INTO
-list of the associated FETCH INTO
statement if the corresponding column attribute in the iterator is of the identical type.
The following example uses the BASIC_LOB_TABLE
table and the writeToBlob()
method defined in previous examples. Similar code could be written for CLOBs and BFILEs.
#sql iterator PositionedLOBIter(BLOB); ... PositionedLOBIter iter; BLOB blob = null; #sql iter = { SELECT b FROM basic_lob_table }; for (long rowNum = 1; ; rowNum++) { #sql { FETCH :iter INTO :blob }; if (iter.endFetch()) break; writeToBlob(blob, 512*rowNum); } iter.close(); ...
This example calls writeToBlob()
for each BLOB in BASIC_LOB_TABLE
. Each row writes an additional 512 bytes of data.
The Oracle-specific ROWID
type stores the unique address for each row in a database table. The oracle.sql.ROWID
class wraps ROWID information and is used to bind and define variables of the ROWID
type.
Variables of the oracle.sql.ROWID
type can be used in SQLJ applications connecting to Oracle Database 11g in the following ways:
As IN
, OUT
or INOUT
host variables in SQLJ executable statements and in INTO
-lists
As a return value from a stored function call
As column types in iterator declarations
ROWIDs in Iterator Declarations
You can use oracle.sql.ROWID
as a column type for SQLJ positional and named iterators, as shown in the following declarations:
#sql iterator NamedRowidIter (String ename, ROWID rowid); #sql iterator PositionedRowidIter (String, ROWID);
ROWID Host Variables and Named-Iterator SELECT Results
You can use ROWID
objects as IN
, OUT
and INOUT
parameters in SQLJ executable statements. In addition, you can populate iterators whose columns include ROWID
types. This code example uses the preceding example declarations.
#sql iterator NamedRowidIter (String ename, ROWID rowid); ... NamedRowidIter iter; ROWID rowid; #sql iter = { SELECT ename, rowid FROM emp }; while (iter.next()) { if (iter.ename().equals("CHUCK TURNER")) { rowid = iter.rowid(); #sql { UPDATE emp SET sal = sal + 500 WHERE rowid = :rowid }; } } iter.close(); ...
This example increases the salary of the employee named Chuck Turner by $500 according to the ROWID.
Consider the following function:
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION get_rowid (name VARCHAR2) RETURN ROWID IS rid ROWID; BEGIN SELECT rowid INTO rid FROM emp WHERE ename = name; RETURN rid; END get_rowid;
Given the preceding stored function, the following example indicates how a ROWID
object is used as the assignment type for the function return result:
ROWID rowid; #sql rowid = { values(get_rowid('AMY FEINER')) }; #sql { UPDATE emp SET sal = sal + 500 WHERE rowid = :rowid };
This example increases the salary of the employee named Amy Feiner by $500 according to the ROWID.
Host variables of the ROWID
type can appear in the INTO
-list of a SELECT INTO
statement.
ROWID rowid; #sql { SELECT rowid INTO :rowid FROM emp WHERE ename='CHUCK TURNER' }; #sql { UPDATE emp SET sal = sal + 500 WHERE rowid = :rowid };
This example increases the salary of the employee named Chuck Turner by $500 according to the ROWID.
ROWID Host Variables and Positional Iterator FETCH INTO Targets
Host variables of the ROWID
type can appear in the INTO
-list of a FETCH INTO
statement if the corresponding column attribute in the iterator is of the identical type.
#sql iterator PositionedRowidIter (String, ROWID); ... PositionedRowidIter iter; ROWID rowid = null; String ename = null; #sql iter = { SELECT ename, rowid FROM emp }; while (true) { #sql { FETCH :iter INTO :ename, :rowid }; if (iter.endFetch()) break; if (ename.equals("CHUCK TURNER")) { #sql { UPDATE emp SET sal = sal + 500 WHERE rowid = :rowid }; } } iter.close(); ...
This example is similar to the previous named iterator example, but uses a positional iterator with its customary FETCH INTO
syntax.
In Oracle Database 11g release 1 (11.1), SQLJ supports positioned update and delete operations. A positioned update or delete operation can be done using an iterator. The iterator used for positioned update or delete should implement the sqlj.runtime.ForUpdate
interface. You can use a named iterator, positional iterator, or scrollable iterator.
The following code illustrates a positioned update:
... #sql iterator iter implements sqlj.runtime.ForUpdate(String str) ... #sql iter = {SELECT ename FROM emp WHERE dpetno=10}; ... while(iter.next()) { #sql {UPDATE emp SET sal=sal+5000 WHERE CURRENT OF :iter}; } ...
In the preceding code, an iterator iter
is created and used to update the emp
table.
Note:
If you want to avoid synchronization problems, then issue aSELECT ... FOR UPDATE
statement.You an similarly perform a positioned delete. For example:
... #sql {DELETE FROM emp WHERE CURRENT OF :iter} ...
In the preceding example, iter
is an iterator used to perform positioned delete.
The iterators that can be used with the WHERE CURRENT OF
clause have the following limitations:
The query used to populate the iterator should not operate on multiple tables.
You cannot use a PL/SQL procedure returning a REF CURSOR
with the iterator.
You cannot use an iterator that has been populated from a result set. That is, an iterator populated using the following statement, where rs
is a result set:
#sql iter = {cast :rs}
Oracle PL/SQL and the Oracle SQLJ implementation support the use of cursor variables that represent database cursors.
Cursor variables are functionally equivalent to JDBC result sets, essentially encapsulating the results of a query. A cursor variable is often referred to as a REF CURSOR, but REF CURSOR
itself is a type specifier, and not a type name. Instead, named REF CURSOR types must be specified. The following example shows a REF CURSOR type specification:
TYPE EmpCurType IS REF CURSOR;
Stored procedures and stored functions can return parameters of Oracle REF CURSOR types. You must use PL/SQL to return a REF CURSOR parameter. You cannot accomplish this using SQL alone. A PL/SQL stored procedure or function can declare a variable of some named REF CURSOR type, execute a SELECT
statement, and return the results in the REF CURSOR variable.
In the Oracle SQLJ implementation, a REF CURSOR type can be mapped to iterator columns or host variables of any iterator class type or of the java.sql.ResultSet
type, but host variables can be OUT
only. Support for REF CURSOR types can be summarized as follows:
As result expressions for stored function returns
As output host expressions for stored procedure or function output parameters
As output host expressions in INTO
-lists
As iterator columns
You can use the SQL CURSOR
operator for a nested SELECT
within an outer SELECT
statement. This is how you can write a REF CURSOR object to an iterator column or ResultSet
column in an iterator, or write a REF CURSOR object to an iterator host variable or ResultSet
host variable in an INTO
-list.
See Also:
"Using Iterators and Result Sets as Host Variables" for examples illustrating the use of implicit REF CURSOR variables, including an example of theCURSOR
operator.Notes:
Use the type code OracleTypes.CURSOR
for REF CURSOR types.
There is no oracle.sql
class for REF CURSOR types. Use either java.sql.ResultSet
or an iterator class. Close the result set or iterator to release resources when you are done processing it.
The following sample method shows a REF CURSOR type being retrieved from an anonymous block:
private static EmpIter refCursInAnonBlock(String name, int no) throws java.sql.SQLException { EmpIter emps = null; System.out.println("Using anonymous block for ref cursor.."); #sql { begin INSERT INTO emp (ename, empno) VALUES (:name, :no); OPEN :out emps FOR SELECT ename, empno FROM emp ORDER BY empno; end }; return emps; }
All oracle.sql
classes can be used for iterator columns or for input, output, or input-output host variables in the same way that any standard Java type can be used. This includes the classes mentioned in the preceding sections and others, such as the oracle.sql.NUMBER
, oracle.sql.CHAR
, and oracle.sql.RAW
classes.
Because the oracle.sql.*
classes do not require conversion to Java type format, they offer greater efficiency and precision than equivalent Java types. You would have to convert the data to standard Java types, however, to use it with standard Java programs or to display it to end users.
SQLJ supports java.math.BigDecimal
in the following situations:
As host variables in SQLJ executable statements
As return values from stored function calls
As iterator column types
Standard SQLJ has the limitation that a value can be retrieved as BigDecimal
only if that is the JDBC default mapping, which is the case only for numeric and decimal data.
In the Oracle SQLJ implementation, however, you can map to nondefault types as long as the data type is convertible from numeric and you use Oracle9i Database or later version, an Oracle JDBC driver, Oracle-specific code generation or the Oracle customizer, and the Oracle SQLJ run time. The CHAR
, VARCHAR2
, LONG
, and NUMBER
types are convertible. For example, you can retrieve data from a CHAR
column into a BigDecimal
variable. However, to avoid errors, you must be careful that the character data consists only of numbers.
Note:
TheBigDecimal
class is in the standard java.math
package.