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JDBC Driver 4

Go Beyond JDBC Driver 4 with Progress DataDirect

When first introduced more than ten years ago, JDBC driver 4 marked a significant advance in JDBC  driver technology. Written entirely in Java, the platform-independent JDBC driver 4 directly converted JDBC calls into vendor-specific database calls and thus did away with the additional middleware layer required by earlier JDBC driver types.

During many years in production environments, however, JDBC driver 4 has shown substantial limitations such as:

  • Inconsistent performance. JDBC driver 4 response time and data throughput suffers in certain JVM environments and when used with modern ORM frameworks or application servers.
  • Poor resource efficiency. Most JDBC driver 4 implementations use excessive CPU and memory resources and are difficult or impossible to tune. This inefficient resource consumption is a problem particularly in virtualized environments.
  • Inaccessible functionality. Because most JDBC driver 4 implementations require that JDBC code be accessed in order to enable new driver or database functionality, applications deployed with ORM or application server environments are unable to utilize such functionality.
  • Deployment complexity. JDBC driver 4 typically requires multiple JAR files to support different JVMs or database versions, as well as platform-dependent DLLs or shared libraries to support certain driver or database functionality.
  • Proprietary extensions. For each target database type, JDBC driver 4 requires proprietary extensions in order to support features such as BLOBs and CLOBs, high availability, and XA.

Progress DataDirect Introduces JDBC Driver 5

Progress® DataDirect is the leading provider of enterprise-class database connectivity solutions. As part of our DataDirect Connect® line of advanced technology drivers, we offer the world’s only suite of Type 5 JDBC drivers. Engineered specifically to overcome the limitations of JDBC driver 4, our Type 5 JDBC suite features drivers for every major database, including JDBC SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase, MySQL, DB2, and Informix.

Connect Type 5 JDBC drivers deliver:

  • Consistently superior performance regardless of the runtime environment, data access model, or number of application users.
  • Highly efficient, easy-to-tune resource utilization.
  • Codeless enabling and configuration of new features and functionality.
  • Simplified deployment in a single JAR file regardless of environment, JVM version, or database version.
  • Streamlined standardization that supports advanced features, such as BLOBs and CLOBs, without any proprietary extensions.

Whether you’re seeking a JDBC SQL Server driver or JDBC solutions for any other database environment, Progress DataDirect’s Type 5 JDBC drivers are faster, more scalable, and simpler to manage than the conventional JDBC driver 4.

If you have ODBC connectivity needs, our Connect product line features high-performance SQL ODBC driver implementations including ODBC to SQL Server, ODBC for MySQL, ODBC Oracle 64bit, and many more. For mainframe environments, Progress offers enterprise-class solutions including mainframe business event processing.

Learn more about Progress DataDirect Connect drivers for JDBC, or download a driver today and start your free trial.