Oracle 9i Java Programming: Solutions for Developers Using PL/SQL and Java [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Bjarki Holm (Author), John Carnell (Author), Tomas Stubbs (Author), Poornachandra Sarang (Author), Kevin Mukhar (Author), Sant Singh (Author), Jaeda Goodman (Author), Ben Marcotte (Author), Mauricio Naranjo (Author), Anand Raj (Author), Mark Piermanini (Author)

Book Description

Series: Programmer to Programmer | Publication Date: December 2001

This is a book about putting Java to work in the Oracle database. It concentrates on real-world applications that developers can put to immediate use in their day-to-day jobs and, in addition, gives in-depth consideration to the question of when it is appropriate to use Java from a performance perspective (including benchmarks). The examples in the book clearly distinguish between situations where:

Java can provide functionality that PL/SQL cannot. We exploit Java's capabilities for accessing system resources outside the database - such as operating system commands and network sockets. We also make use of powerful Java Utilities for messaging and generating graphics. For example, we develop an application whereby a pie chart image is generated from a query, and then automatically distributed to interested parties (using JavaMail) Java can be used to smoothly complement the programming capability of PL/SQL. An example here would be the use of PL/SQL packages to handle complex data types and schedule tasks in the database, in conjunction with the file transfer (FTP) or compression capabilities of Java.

The book is divided into four sections:

Section I is a fast-paced Java tutorial for PL/SQL programmers
Section II covers database access with JDBC and SQLJ and shows how to smoothly and correctly convert between Java and native SQL data types
Section III is the real heart of the book, where what has been learned is applied to practical problem solving with Java and PL/SQL
Section IV takes a detailed look at performance issues. Having considered Java application tuning and SQL tuning separately, we take a detailed look behind the scenes of Java database access and try to illustrate how you should choose between Java and PL/SQL for database operations

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This book is for experienced Oracle developers looking to understand the advantages that Java brings and to exploit them in conjunction with SQL and PL/SQL. It will also be of interest to DBAs looking to understand how Java is likely to be used inside the database and how this affects them, and beginner/intermediate Java Developers looking to apply their knowledge in the Oracle arena.

About the Author

Bjarki Hólm is a software engineer. Bjarki works as one of two chief system architects for Vyre Corporation. His current work includes the development of Vyre's new generation of content management systems, using J2EE and XML technologies. Bjarki's main areas of technical interest include Java technologies, XML, and Oracle.

John Carnell is currently working as a staff consultant with the Centare Group, a leading provider of e-software solutions. Johns favourite topic of discussion is component-based, n-tier architectures. John has extensive experience with Microsoft, Oracle and Java technologies. He can be reached at [e-mail].

Ben Marcotte received a BS in Biology from the University of Oregon in 1994. In his progress from a research biologist to a computational biologist to a sysadmin to a web developer, many topics and technologies have held his interest, but presently Java, Oracle, XML and PHP garner his attention.

Jaeda Goodman is a Principal Software Engineer at Keane. After a degree in Philosophy and an MSc in Cognitive Science, she moved into the world of IT, focusing on Oracle data warehousing. For the last few years she has been concentrating on Java technologies, and has started specialising in J2EE after having reluctantly had to abandon her quest to become an InfoBus expert.

Kevin Mukhar has dabbled in programming for many years, and has been a professional programmer for almost 6 years. For the past 4 years he's worked primarily on providing web based services using Java in a web server with an Oracle database on the backend.

Mauricio Naranjo is a software engineer from Colombia, South America. He currently works as a software architect at the Research & Development Division of Open Intl. Systems Corp. His main focus is on distributed computing, Internet technologies, OO techniques and software architecture. Mauricio can be reached at: [e-mail] or [e-mail].

Mark Piermarini has been working for Oracle for the past two years

focusing mainly on Java and Internet technologies. Prior to Oracle, he was with a large consulting company for a few years; this allowed him to work on document imaging and financial systems for state/local governments and universities.

Anand Raaj is a Principal Consultant with QED Solutions Inc., a Houston based consulting firm, specializing in Oracle and web technology. He has nine years of experience in developing and implementing Oracle based applications. He is an Oracle Certified Professional and he presents regularly at regional and national conferences (Oracle user groups). He is also a Sun Certified Java Programmer.

Sant Singh is currently working with Cymbal Corporation, California, USA as a System Analyst. He has 5 years of experience in Client/Server and Internet software development environment. His Area of specialization is Objected Oriented Analysis and Design with Java and Database Design and Development with Oracle and SQL Server.

Tomas Stubbs has been developing and designing commercial software since 1989 and for most of that time he has specialised in Oracle. He currently works both as an independent contractor and as Technical Director for Firebrand Software Ltd., a software product development company which he co-founded with three others. He can be reached at [e-mail].

Product Details

• Paperback: 825 pages
• Publisher: Peer Information; 1st edition (December 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1861006020
• ISBN-13: 978-1861006028
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,439,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for Oracle Java Programming, April 25, 2002

By 

John Wilson (Arizona USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oracle 9i Java Programming: Solutions for Developers Using PL/SQL and Java (Paperback)

First of all, let me correct any misconceptions you might be having about this book: It is not about general, three-tier web development using Oracle and Java - instead, it is focused entirely on in-database programming with stored procedures, using Java where PL/SQL either has no solution or lacks in some aspect.

For me, this book was very useful. Before I read it, I didn't see much use in Java stored procedures, finding PL/SQL a much better alternative. In short, this book tries hard to illustrate the role of each language within the Oracle database, and in the end, is successful in doing that. The issue of PL/SQL vs. Java - both in terms of performance and usefulness - is a concurrent theme throughout most of the book.

For me, that latter half was the real meat on the bone. The first chapters are thought for beginners to Java and JDBC, but I skipped them mostly. The chapters on security, OS resources and PL/SQL-Java interoperability were very useful. I actually found more than one case where Java would have made a great difference for a past project! Additionally, I appreciated the performance section at the back, which cleared up many of my initial misconceptions on the subject.

To summarize: If you are interested in extending your Oracle database applications by using the abilities of Java, this is the right book for you.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Poor, October 8, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Oracle 9i Java Programming: Solutions for Developers Using PL/SQL and Java (Paperback)

As a couple of reviewers have already indicated, this book doesn't provide the level of detail required to really understand the various topics this book claims to cover.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended for Oracle developers, August 14, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Oracle 9i Java Programming: Solutions for Developers Using PL/SQL and Java (Paperback)

As an Oracle developer, I found this book very helpful in my day-to-day chores. It is divided into four main sections, which I discuss further below.

The first section is a Java tutorial, for the Oracle developer. Having dealt a little with Java before, I found little new in this section. A word of caution, though: this book assumes some familiarity with PL/SQL (while no assumptions are made of Java knowledge). The material is divided so that you can just scan through, or skip, the first section (ca 100 pages), if you feel like it.

In part 2 of this book, we have a few chapters on both JDBC and SQLJ. Most emphasis is on Oracle-specific stuff and extensions. These chapters were different in quality, but served their purpose.

Part 3 is the heart of the book. This is where the authors delve into the details of Oracle Java, and illustrate how PRACTICAL problems may be solved by using Java or the joint efforts of PL/SQL and Java. I found some of the chapters in this section very pleasent to read, and I have already used some of the code presented in my own work. Highlights include the chapters on the Oracle JVM and the uses of Java utilities and OS resource handling (e.g. mail client that takes BLOB attachments).

Finally, section 4 discusses performance, both of Java and SQL, and compares Oracle Java with PL/SQL. Although this discussion is a little lightweight (this is material for whole books!), the emphasis on using bind variables is easily justified.

Overall, I greatly recommend this book for any Oracle developer seeking to use Java stored procedures in the database!