Connection factory
An application component uses a connection factory to access a connection instance, which the component then uses to connect to the underlying enterprise information system .
Examples of connections include database connections, Java Message Service connections, and SAP R/3 connections.
Resource adapter
Creating and configuring a JDBC provider and data source using the JMX API
Configure connection factories for resource adapters within applications
Configure Java 2 Connector connection factories in the administrative console
Assembling data access applications
Accessing data using J2EE Connector Architecture connectors
CMP Connection Factories collection