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The second edition of the JDBC API Tutorial and Reference provides a worthwhile tour of the new features in Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) 2.0 and serves well as a reference to Sun's new standard for Java database programming. Once you open this book, it becomes quickly obvious that it is more comprehensive than the first edition. The new edition begins with an overview of the JDBC API, including its architecture and overall design. Beginners will also be pleased with a short breakdown of the Java programming language and SQL basics. Early sections of the book walk through an approachable tutorial of JDBC, concentrating on topics such as connecting to databases, retrieving result sets, manipulating records, and handling database transactions. There's also coverage of using stored procedures, including embedded SQL with SQLJ. The book then turns to new JDBC 2.0 API features, like scrollable cursors, updateable record sets, and batch updates. Experienced readers will appreciate how the authors show off JDBC 1.0 code before presenting these new features. An explanation of SQL3 data types supported in JDBC 2.0 follow the discussion of the API features. The book provides extensive support for finding and understanding recordsets and databases, including the use of the oddly named ResultSetMetaData and DatabaseMetaData classes, which have been greatly enhanced in JDBC 2.0. (You can now write Java code that customizes itself at runtime for almost any SQL platform.) Similar in spirit to the Microsoft OLE DB, the new JDBC 2.0 now supports rowsets, which let programmers work with any tabular data store from within their applications. Most of the book (over 600 pages) functions as a reference containing every JDBC 2.0 class. Presented alphabetically, each class comes with an introductory definition and a complete listing of its constituent members and methods (including deprecated APIs). Final sections include a guide to "SQL to Java" mappings and tips for writing JDBC drivers. Whether you are approaching JDBC for the very first time or are ramping up from JDBC 1.0, there is perhaps no better source for learning about the enhanced powers of the new JDBC than this "official" guide from Sun. --Richard Dragan | 
