Task overview: Accessing data from applications
Various enterprise information systems (EIS) use different methods for storing data. These backend data stores might be relational databases, procedural transaction programs, or object-oriented databases.
Overview
IBM WAS provides several options for accessing an information system's backend data store:
- Programming directly to the database through the JDBC 2.0 optional package API or the JDBC 3.0 API.
- Programming to the procedural backend transaction through various J2EE Connector Architecture (JCA) 1.0 or 1.5 compliant connectors.
- Programming in the bean-managed persistence (BMP) bean or servlets indirectly accessing the backend store through either the JDBC API or JCA compliant connectors.
- Use container-managed persistence (CMP) beans.
- Use embedded Structured Query Language in Java (SQLJ) support with applications that use DB2 as a backend database.
- Use the IBM data access beans, which also use the JDBC API, but give you a rich set of features and function that hide much of the complexity associated with accessing relational databases.
For all of these options, except for using the JCA 1.0 or 1.5 compliant connectors, the prerequisite Web site details which databases and drivers are currently supported. See the following IBM Suggests section for a link.
Procedure
- Develop data access applications. Develop your application to access data using the various ways available through the WAS. You can access data through APIs, container-managed persistence beans, bean-managed persistence beans, session beans, or Web components.
- Assemble data access applications using the assembly tool. Assemble your application by creating and mapping resource references.
- Prepare for deployment: Ensure that the appropriate database objects are available. Create or configure any databases or tables required, set necessary configuration parameters to handle expected load, and configure any necessary JDBC providers and data source objects for servlets, enterprise beans, and client applications to use.
- Install the application on your appserver.
Resource adapters
JDBC providers
Data sources
Data access beans
Connection management architecture
Cache instances
Use object cache instances
Developing data access applications
Assembling data access applications using the assembly tool
Deploying data access applications
Administering data access applications
Data access: Resources for learning
Related concepts
Embedded Structured Query language in Java (SQLJ) support
Related tasks
Installing J2EE application files
Related Reference
J2C Administered Objects collection
J2C Activation Specifications collection
Related information
WAS prerequisite Web site