This is a lecture I made at the American University of Beirut.

1. Database Programming
Techniques
CMPS 277
Raji Ghawi
rg31@aub.edu.lb
7 April 2015

2. Interaction with Databases
• Interactive interface
– SQL commands typed directly into a monitor
– Execute file of commands
• @<filename>
• Application programs or database applications
– Used as canned transactions by the end users access a
database
– May have Web interface
– Host language: Java, C/C++/C# , …
– Database language: SQL

3. Database Programming Approaches
• Embedded SQL Approach
– Embedded SQL ( C language)
– SQLJ (Java language)
• Library of Function Calls Approach.
– JDBC
– SQL/CLI
• Database Programming Language Approach
– Stored Procedures

4. Database Programming Approaches
• Embedded SQL Approach
– Embedded SQL ( C language)
– SQLJ (Java language)
• Library of Function Calls Approach.
– JDBC
– SQL/CLI
• Database Programming Language Approach
– Stored Procedures

5. JDBC
One API to Access Them All

6. Introduction
• JDBC: Java DataBase Connectivity
• JDBC is a standard interface that lets you access
virtually any tabular data source from the Java
programming language
– relational databases, spreadsheets, flat files
• The JDBC classes and interfaces are in the java.sql
package

7. General Architecture
Java Application or Applet
JDBC Driver Manager
Oracle
Driver
MySQL
Driver
PostgreSQL
Driver
Oracle PostgreSQLMySQL
• The Driver Manager
provides a consistent
layer between your
Java application and
back-end database.

8. • Is an interpreter that translates JDBC method calls to vendor-
specific database commands
• Implements interfaces in java.sql
• Can also provide a vendor’s extensions to the JDBC standard
Driver
JDBC calls
Database
commands
Database
A JDBC Driver

9. Query
Close
Connect
Process results
Overview of Querying a Database With JDBC

10. Register the driver
Connect to the database
Stage 1: Connect
Query
Close
Connect
Process results

11. 1. Register the driver.
2. Connect to the database.
DriverManager.registerDriver(new org.postgresql.Driver());
Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection
(URL, userid, password);
Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection
("jdbc:postgresql://localhost/University",
"xxxx", "xxxx");
How to Make the Connection

12. Using Connection
java.sql.Connection Creating Statement
Transaction Management
Get database metadata
Conneciton related
createStatment()
prepareStatment(String)
prepareCall(String)
commit()
rollback()
getMetaData()
close()
isClosed()

13. List of JDBC Drivers
DBMS Driver / URL
PostgreSQL
org.postgresql.Driver
jdbc:postgresql://[host]/[DB]
MySQL
com.mysql.jdbc.Driver
jdbc:mysql://[host]/[DB]
Oracle
oracle.jdbc.driver.OracleDriver
jdbc:oracle:thin:@[host]:[port]:[db]
jdbc:oracle:oci:@[host]:[port]:[db]
SQL Server
com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerDriver
jdbc:sqlserver://[host];databaseName=[db];
ODBC bridge
sun.jdbc.odbc.JdbcOdbcDriver
jdbc:odbc:[db]

14. Demonstration
import java.sql.*;
public class MyDBApp1 {
public static void main(String[] args) {
String url = "jdbc:postgresql://localhost/University";
String username = "xxxx";
String passwd = "xxxx";
try {
Class.forName("org.postgresql.Driver");
Connection connection = DriverManager.getConnection(url, username, passwd);
// do something with connection
} catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
} catch (SQLException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
}

15. Create a statement
Query the database
Stage 2: Query
Query
Close
Connect
Process results

16. The Statement Object
• A Statement object sends your SQL statement
to the database.
• You need an active connection to create a
JDBC statement.
• Statement has three methods to execute a
SQL statement:
– executeQuery() for SELECT statements
– executeUpdate() for INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, or
DDL statements
– execute() for either type of statement

17. 1. Create an empty statement object.
2. Execute the statement.
Statement stmt = conn.createStatement();
ResultSet rset = stmt.executeQuery(statement);
int count = stmt.executeUpdate(statement);
boolean isquery = stmt.execute(statement);
How to Query the Database

18. Statement stmt = conn.createStatement();
ResultSet rset = stmt.executeQuery
("SELECT fname, lname FROM student");
Statement stmt = conn.createStatement();
int rowcount = stmt.executeUpdate
("DELETE FROM student WHERE studid = '201231521'");
Querying the Database: Examples
• Execute a select statement.
• Execute a delete statement.

19. Step through the results
Assign results to Java variables
Stage 3: Process the Results
Close
Connect
Process results
Query

20. The ResultSet Object
• JDBC returns the results of a query in a
ResultSet object.
• A ResultSet maintains a cursor pointing to its
current row of data.
• Use next() to step through the result set row
by row.
• getString(), getInt(), and so on assign each
value to a Java variable.

21. 1. Step through the result set.
2. Use getXXX() to get each column value.
while (rset.next()) { … }
String val =
rset.getString(colname);
while (rset.next()) {
String fname = rset.getString("fname");
String email = rset.getString("email");
// Process or display the data
}
String val =
rset.getString(colIndex);
How to Process the Results

22. while (rset.next()) {
String email = rset.getString("email");
if (rset.wasNull() {
… // Handle null value
}
…}
How to Handle SQL Null Values
• Java primitive types cannot have null values.
• Do not use a primitive type when your query
might return a SQL null.
• Use ResultSet.wasNull() to determine whether
a column has a null value.

23. Mapping Database Types to Java
Types
• ResultSet maps database types to Java types.
ResultSet rset = stmt.executeQuery
("SELECT id, birth_date, name FROM student");
int id = rset.getInt(1);
Date birthdate = rset.getDate(2);
String name = rset.getString(3);
Column Name Type
id INTEGER
birthdate DATE
name VARCHAR

24. JDBC Type Java Type
BIT boolean
TINYINT byte
SMALLINT short
INTEGER int
BIGINT long
REAL float
FLOAT
DOUBLE
double
BINARY
VARBINARY
LONGVARBINARY
byte[]
CHAR
VARCHAR
LONGVARCHAR
String
Mapping Database Types to Java
Types
JDBC Type Java Type
NUMERIC
DECIMAL
BigDecimal
DATE java.sql.Date
TIME
TIMESTAMP
java.sql.Timestamp
CLOB Clob*
BLOB Blob*
ARRAY Array*
STRUCT Struct*
REF Ref*
JAVA_OBJECT underlying Java class
* SQL3 data type supported in JDBC 2.0

25. Close the result set
Close the statement
Close the connection
Stage 4: Close
Close
Connect
Query
Process Results

26. 1. Close the ResultSet object.
2. Close the Statement object.
3. Close the connection.
rset.close();
stmt.close();
conn.close();
How to Close the Connection

27. Demonstration
public static void main(String[] args) {
String url = "jdbc:postgresql://localhost/University";
String username = "xxxx";
String passwd = "xxxx";
try {
Class.forName("org.postgresql.Driver");
Connection connection = DriverManager.getConnection(url, username, passwd);
Statement stmt = connection.createStatement();
String sql2 = "SELECT * FROM student";
ResultSet rs = stmt.executeQuery(sql2);
while (rs.next()) {
int id = rs.getInt("studId");
String fname = rs.getString("fname");
String lname = rs.getString("lname");
String email = rs.getString("email");
String major = rs.getString("major");
System.out.printf("%-12d %-10s %-10s %-25s %-6s n", id, fname, lname, email, major);
}
} catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
} catch (SQLException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}

28. Demonstration
create statement object
SQL query
execute a query, returns a ResultSet object
loop over results
fetch results from ResultSet object into Java variables
format and print results
close the result set and the statement

29. Demonstration

30. Improve the structure of your program
make a global connection
move connecting code into a separate method
call your connect method from the constructor

31. Improve the structure of your program
separate database
operations into
methods

32. Improve the structure of your program
call operational methods
from main() as needed

33. Improve your program much more
• Create a pretty Graphical User Interface
– Swing: JPanel, JTable, …
• Make Java classes for your database entities
• Use suitable Design Pattern
– Singleton pattern

34. Improve your program much more

35. Improve your program much more

36. Security Issue
SQL Injection

37. Prepared Statements
• A PreparedStatement object
holds precompiled SQL statements.
• Use this object for statements you want to
execute more than once.
• A prepared statement can contain variables
that you supply each time you execute the
statement.

38. How to Create a Prepared Statement
1.Register the driver and create the database
connection.
2.Create the prepared statement, identifying
variables with a question mark (?).
PreparedStatement pstmt =
conn.prepareStatement("UPDATE student
SET email = ? WHERE studID = ?");
PreparedStatement pstmt =
conn.prepareStatement("SELECT deptName FROM
department WHERE deptCode = ?");

39. How to Execute a Prepared Statement
1. Supply values for the variables.
2. Execute the statement.
pstmt.setXXX(index, value);
pstmt.executeQuery();
pstmt.executeUpdate();
PreparedStatement pstmt =
conn.prepareStatement("UPDATE student
SET email = ? WHERE studID = ?");
pstmt.setString(1, "abcd@gmail.com");
pstmt.setInt(2, studId);
pstmt.executeUpdate();

40. Demonstration
SQL query with placeholders
Supply values to the placeholders
Create PreparedStatement object
Execute the prepared update statement

41. Much more still to do
• Transaction Management
• Scrollable Result Set
• Updatable Result Set
• Callable Statements
• Metadata
– DatabaseMetaData
– ResultSetMetaData

42. JDBC Resources
• JDBC Tutorials
– http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/index-141229.html
• JDBC Online Courses
– http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/index-137757.html
• JDBC Books
– http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/index-142052.html

43. Database Programming Approaches
• Embedded SQL Approach
– Embedded SQL ( C language)
– SQLJ (Java language)
• Library of Function Calls Approach.
– JDBC
– SQL/CLI
• Database Programming Language Approach
– Stored Procedures

44. Stored Procedures
Persistent Stored Modules

45. Stored Procedures
Views
Way to register queries inside DBMS
Stored Procedures
Way to register code inside DBMS

46. Stored Procedures
• What is stored procedure?
– Piece of code stored inside the DBMS
– SQL allows you to define procedures and functions and
store them inside DBMS
• Advantages
– Reusability: do not need to write the code again and again
– Programming language-like environment
• Assignment, Loop, For, IF statements
– Call it whenever needed
• From select statement, another procedure, or another function

47. SQL/PSM
• SQL/Persistent Stored Modules
• ISO standard defining an extension of SQL with a procedural
language for use in stored procedures.
PL/SQL Transact-SQL
SQL PL
MySQL
stored procedures
PL/pgSQL

48. Stored Procedures in PostgreSQL
• PostgreSQL allows user-defined functions to be
written in other languages besides SQL and C:
– PL/pgSQL
– PL/Perl
– PL/Tcl
– PL/Python

49. PL/pgSQL
• PL/pgSQL: Procedural Language postgreSQL
• The design goals of PL/pgSQL were to create a
procedural language that
– can be used to create functions and trigger procedures,
– adds control structures to the SQL language,
– can perform complex computations,
– inherits all user-defined types, functions, and operators,
– is easy to use.

50. Structure of PL/pgSQL functions
CREATE [OR REPLACE] FUNCTION <functionName> (<paramList>)
RETURNS [<type> | VOID]
AS $$
[ DECLARE
<declarations> ]
BEGIN
<functionBody>;
END;
$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;
If exists, then drop it and
create it again
A parameter in the paramList is specified as:
<name> <mode> <type>
Mode:
IN input parameter (default)
OUT output parameter
INOUT input and output parameter

51. Example 1
CREATE FUNCTION remove_emp(empID INTEGER) RETURNS void AS $$
BEGIN
DELETE FROM employee
WHERE employee.emp_id = empID ;
RETURN ;
END;
$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;
Function name Parameter list nothing to return
RETURN means exit the function
parameter used inside SQL
SELECT remove_emp(110);
Stored procedures can be called:
• from SQL
• from other functions
• from applications (JDBC CallableStatement)

52. Declarations
• Examples
quantity INTEGER DEFAULT 32;
url VARCHAR := 'http://mysite.com';
user_id CONSTANT INTEGER := 10;
name [CONSTANT] type [NOT NULL] [{DEFAULT | := } expression];

53. Control Structures (Conditionals)
IF boolean-expression THEN
statements
END IF;
IF-THEN
IF boolean-expression THEN
statements
ELSE
statements
END IF;
IF-THEN-ELSE
IF boolean-expression THEN
statements
[ ELSIF boolean-expression THEN
statements
[ ELSIF boolean-expression THEN
statements
...]]
[ ELSE
statements ]
END IF;
IF-THEN-ELSIF
CASE search-expression
WHEN expression [, expression [ ... ]] THEN
statements
[ WHEN expression [, expression [ ... ]] THEN
statements
... ]
[ ELSE
statements ]
END CASE;
Simple CASE
CASE
WHEN boolean-expression THEN
statements
[ WHEN boolean-expression THEN
statements
... ]
[ ELSE
statements ]
END CASE;
Searched CASE

54. Control Structures (Loops)
[ <<label>> ]
LOOP
statements
END LOOP [ label ];
LOOP
EXIT [ label ] [ WHEN boolean-expression ];
EXIT
[ <<label>> ]
WHILE boolean-expression LOOP
statements
END LOOP [ label ];
WHILE
CONTINUE [ label ] [ WHEN boolean-expression ];
CONTINUE
FOR (Integer Variant)
[ <<label>> ]
FOR name IN [ REVERSE ] expression .. expression [ BY expression ] LOOP
statements
END LOOP [ label ];
[ <<label>> ]
FOR target IN query LOOP
statements
END LOOP [ label ];
FOR (Query Results Variant)

55. Example 2
• Raise the salary of
employees of a given
department by a
certain ratio.
– dept_id = 1
– ratio = 0.10
• Keep track of salary
changes.
emp_id emp_name salary dept_id
101 John 1000 1
102 Jack 1100 1
103 Smith 1200 2
104 Walter 1000 2
105 Mike 1500 2
106 Sarah 1600 3
107 Judie 1250 3
emp_id change_date old_salary new_salary
Employee
Salary_History

56. Example 2
CREATE FUNCTION raise_salary(deptID INTEGER, ratio REAL)
RETURNS void AS $$
DECLARE
oldSal REAL; newSal REAL;
curs1 CURSOR FOR
SELECT * FROM employee
WHERE employee.dept_id = deptID;
BEGIN
FOR var IN curs1 LOOP
oldSal := var.salary;
newSal := oldSal + oldSal * ratio;
UPDATE employee
SET salary = newSal
WHERE CURRENT OF curs1;
INSERT INTO salary_history
VALUES(var.emp_id, current_date, oldSal, newSal);
END LOOP;
RETURN;
END ;
$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;
Use cursor to iterate rows
Define a cursor that references
the input parameter
variable assignments
Declaration
Section
update the row which the
cursor is positioned on
Implicit row-variable
parameter used inside Cursor
FunctionBody

57. Runemp_id emp_name salary dept_id
101 John 1000 1
102 Jack 1100 1
103 Smith 1200 2
104 Walter 1000 2
105 Mike 1500 2
106 Sarah 1600 3
107 Judie 1250 3
SELECT raise_salary(1, 0.10);
emp_id change_date old_salary new_salary
emp_id emp_name salary dept_id
101 John 1100 1
102 Jack 1210 1
103 Smith 1200 2
104 Walter 1000 2
105 Mike 1500 2
106 Sarah 1600 3
107 Judie 1250 3
emp_id emp_name salary dept_id
101 John 1100 1
102 Jack 1210 1
103 Smith 1380 2
104 Walter 1150 2
105 Mike 1725 2
106 Sarah 1600 3
107 Judie 1250 3
emp_id change_date old_salary new_salary
101 2015-04-06 1000 1100
102 2015-04-06 1100 1210
emp_id change_date old_salary new_salary
101 2015-04-06 1000 1100
102 2015-04-06 1100 1210
103 2015-04-07 1200 1380
104 2015-04-07 1000 1150
105 2015-04-07 1500 1725
SELECT raise_salary(2, 0.15);
Employee Salary_History

58. Much more still to do
• Exception handling
• Complex data types
– Arrays, Tables
• User defined data types
– (Object-Relational Model)
• Triggers
– (Active Databases)

59. References
• PostgreSQL Documentation
PL/pgSQL - SQL Procedural Language
– http://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.3/static/plpgsql.html
• Fundamentals of Database Systems, Elmasri and
Navathe, 6th Edition, Chapter 13
 Some slides are adopted from:
– www.cse.lehigh.edu/~glennb/oose/ppt/JDBC.ppt

60. Thank you