JDBC Interview Questions-5

41) Can I ensure that my app has the latest data?

Typically an application retrieves multiple rows of data, providing a snapshot at an instant of time. Before a particular row is operated upon, the actual data may have been modified by another program. When it is essential that the most recent data is provided, a JDBC 2.0 driver provides the ResultSet.refreshRow method.

42) What does normalization mean for java.sql.Date and java.sql.Time?

These classes are thin wrappers extending java.util.Date, which has both date and time components. java.sql.Date should carry only date information and a normalized instance has the time information set to zeros. java.sql.Time should carry only time information and a normalized instance has the date set to the Java epoch ( January 1, 1970 ) and the milliseconds portion set to zero.

43) What's the best way, in terms of performance, to do multiple insert/update statements, a PreparedStatement or Batch Updates?

Because PreparedStatement objects are precompiled, their execution can be faster than that of Statement objects. Consequently, an SQL statement that is executed many times is often created as a PreparedStatement object to increase efficiency.

A CallableStatement object provides a way to call stored procedures in a standard manner for all DBMSes. Their execution can be faster than that of PreparedStatement object.

Batch updates are used when you want to execute multiple statements together. Actually, there is no conflict here. While it depends on the driver/DBMS engine as to whether or not you will get an actual performance benefit from batch updates, Statement, PreparedStatement, and CallableStatement can all execute the addBatch() method.

44) What is JDO?

JDO provides for the transparent persistence of data in a data store agnostic manner, supporting object, hierarchical, as well as relational stores.

45) What is the difference between setMaxRows(int) and SetFetchSize(int)? Can either reduce processing time?

setFetchSize(int) defines the number of rows that will be read from the database when the ResultSet needs more rows. The method in the java.sql.Statement interface will set the 'default' value for all the ResultSet derived from that Statement; the method in the java.sql.ResultSet interface will override that value for a specific ResultSet. Since database fetches can be expensive in a networked environment, fetch size has an impact on performance.

setMaxRows(int) sets the limit of the maximum nuber of rows in a ResultSet object. If this limit is exceeded, the excess rows are "silently dropped". That's all the API says, so the setMaxRows method may not help performance at all other than to decrease memory usage. A value of 0 (default) means no limit.

46) What is DML?

DML is an abbreviation for Data Manipulation Language. This portion of the SQL standard is concerned with manipulating the data in a database as opposed to the structure of a database. The core verbs for DML are SELECT, INSERT, DELETE, UPDATE, COMMIT and ROLLBACK.

47) What is DDL?

DDL is an abbreviation for Data Definition Language. This portion of the SQL standard is concerned with the creation, deletion and modification of database objects like tables, indexes and views. The core verbs for DDL are CREATE, ALTER and DROP. While most DBMS engines allow DDL to be used dynamically ( and available to JDBC ), it is often not supported in transactions.

48) How can I get information about foreign keys used in a table?

DatabaseMetaData.getImportedKeys() returns a ResultSet with data about foreign key columns, tables, sequence and update and delete rules.

49) How do I disallow NULL values in a table?

Null capability is a column integrity constraint, normally aplied at table creation time. Note that some databases won't allow the constraint to be applied after table creation. Most databases allow a default value for the column as well. The following SQL statement displays the NOT NULL constraint:

CREATE TABLE CoffeeTable ( 

   Type   VARCHAR(25)   NOT NULL, 

   Pounds INTEGER       NOT NULL, 

   Price  NUMERIC(5, 2) NOT NULL 

                         )

50) What isolation level is used by the DBMS when inserting, updating and selecting rows from a database?

The answer depends on both your code and the DBMS. If the program does not explicitly set the isolation level, the DBMS default is used. You can determine the default using DatabaseMetaData.getDefaultTransactionIsolation() and the level for the current Connection with Connection.getTransactionIsolation(). If the default is not appropriate for your transaction, change it with Connection.setTransactionIsolation(int level).