> Type 5 JDBC Drivers

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1 w h i t e p a p e r > Type 5 JDBC Drivers Next-generation Technology, Today

2 Table of Contents Type 4 Technological Stagnation Commoditization and Misperception Inaccessible Functionality and Missed Opportunities Reduced Margins for Error and Performance Degradation Type 5 Technological Advancement Streamlined Application Development, Deployment, and Enhancement...5 Superior Application Performance and Scalability Smaller Application Runtime Footprint Progress DataDirect Next-generation Technology, Today

3 2 Type 4 Technological Stagnation A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, especially when it comes to the complexity of enterprise computing. The productivity of front-line or back-office enterprise systems and their respective end users is directly tied to the performance of upstream integration applications that link these systems to mission-critical data sources residing on any number of computing platforms. Without scalable, reliable, high-performance connectivity to data sources, performance bottlenecks quickly occur and enterprise productivity immediately suffers. In recent months, nowhere have application performance limitations become more apparent than in the Type 4 JDBC connections that currently power advanced Java architectures. As the surrounding Java ecosystem has surged forward functionally, the JDBC specification has remained idling in neutral. For many years, Type 4 technology was adequate. However, times are rapidly changing, and, as complementary Java technologies mature, JDBC s stagnation engenders an architectural chasm that impedes productivity and return on investment. Commoditization and Misperception From the original JDBC-ODBC bridge, the JDBC specification evolved dramatically to the native-protocol Type 4 drivers that are so prevalent today. Unfortunately since the advent of Type 4 drivers, the pace of JDBC s technological advancement has stalled. Today, the vast majority of Type 4 drivers essentially offer the same basic features and capabilities, and for many Java architects and developers JDBC access is essentially an infrastructural afterthought. Furthermore, attention to JDBC access continues to wane with the increasing adoption of object-relational mapping (ORM) technologies such as JPA, Hibernate, and Spring or application servers such as JBoss that sit on top of JDBC. With these modern development platforms, many developers no longer program directly to JDBC. With no access to underlying JDBC calls, developers almost never think about JDBC or what JDBC driver to use as part of determining a data access strategy. Therefore, product evaluation means

4 3 simply selecting a JDBC driver based on check listing. Typically, if there is a free Type 4 JDBC driver available, the driver is automatically assumed to be adequate for any use case. Inaccessible Functionality and Missed Opportunities The commoditization of Type 4 driver technology and the misperception regarding JDBC relevance within the broader Java ecosystem have clouded underlying issues for some time. However, these issues are now becoming apparent as architects and developers attempt to leverage advanced features offered by other interconnected Java technologies. For example, as more development shops adopt ORM tools, developers are realizing that enabling or tuning critical functionality with many Type 4 JDBC drivers requires access to JDBC code, which is not available to applications deployed with ORM frameworks or in application servers. New database or driver functionality may also not be available across all supported JVMs or environments. Many Type 4 JDBC drivers require proprietary code for applications to leverage features such as BLOBs and CLOBs, high availability, and XA. As more and more data sources must be accessed from a single application, the amount of application code, and potential for bugs, increase significantly. Further magnifying the limitations of Type 4 driver technology are the increasingly complex features of relational databases, which frequently involve complicated and proprietary JDBC implementations that make them all but inaccessible to most applications. Application deployment restrictions also plague Type 4 implementations. Most Type 4 JDBC drivers require multiple JAR files to support different JVMs or database versions. They also typically require the client-side deployment of platform-dependent DLLs or shared libraries to support certain driver or database functionality, limiting the environments where they can be deployed.. ORM development technologies and advanced relational database features continue to gain market acceptance. Once implemented, these interconnected technologies direct renewed attention to Type 4 JDBC components, which continue to idle as a technological commodity. As an

5 4 unintended consequence, they place a revealing spotlight on the limitations on Type 4 drivers. Reduced Margins for Error and Performance Degradation The restrictions imposed by Type 4 JDBC drivers on advanced database functionality and ORM and app server deployments are already handcuffing enterprise architects and developers who wish to realize return on investment from their new Java technologies. Unfortunately, the problems with Type 4 do not end here. Compounding the issue of functional inaccessibility, a host of other enterprise technologies have leapfrogged the evolution of JDBC drivers in recent years, and the performance strain on existing Type 4 capabilities is readily apparent. Virtualization, for example, now delivers massive scalability on an affordable growth curve. By consolidating enterprise applications within virtualized environments, enterprise organizations are quickly ratcheting down costly server sprawl and realizing tangible costs savings. The gains associated with virtualization do not come without a price, however. Most Type 4 JDBC drivers use excessive amounts of CPU and memory resources during data access. Tuning options, if available, are inaccessible or limited. This leads to excessive usage of CPU resources and a disproportionately large memory footprint. Before moving to a virtualized architecture, architects did not need to worry about Type 4 JDBC driver performance. Essentially, in employing a one server for one application model, the architecture enjoyed ample hardware CPU and memory resources. By contrast, the goal of virtualization is to maximize the exploitation of unused CPU and memory. Thus, moving to a more condensed, virtualized environment eliminates excess hardware capacity and places a much higher value than ever before on optimum performance combined with resource efficiency throughout the entire application stack especially on the driver used for JDBC connectivity. Unfortunately, as with modern data access models (ORMs and application servers), the data throughput performance and CPU and memory

6 5 efficiency of many Type 4 drivers are poor or inconsistent, particularly when deployed into certain JVM runtime environments. The result has been an eye-opening experience for many enterprise organizations that are determined to realize the return on investment from virtualization. Their existing Type 4 architecture often struggles within a more constricted, virtualized environment, and performance degradation coupled with an inability to hit server consolidation targets quickly rears its ugly head. Type 5 Technological Advancement Many developers and architects find out the hard way after a project has gone into production that even the most common Type 4 JDBC drivers exhibit most, if not all, of these limitations. As businesses look to new technologies such as ORM platforms, advanced database functionality, and virtualization to improve performance and reduce costs, the cost of dealing with the deficiencies of Type 4 JDBC drivers will only increase. Of course, the challenge is not just to define the solution to a problem, but to actually solve it. Rising to meet this challenge are Type 5 JDBC drivers. Leveraging the same client-side, single-tier, 100% Java architecture of Type 4 JDBC drivers, Type 5 JDBC drivers avoid the crippling limitations of Type 4 technology and deliver a full spectrum of benefits to any data-driven Java application. As the first Type 5 JDBC drivers available for Oracle, SQL Server, DB2, Sybase, MySQL, and Informix, the Progress DataDirect Connect for JDBC drivers offer a real solution to those businesses needing a fix to the problems caused by technologically outdated Type 4 JDBC drivers. Streamlined Application Development, Deployment, and Enhancement Switching to Type 5 JDBC drivers from Progress DataDirect allows developers to program applications without needing data-source-specific code, thereby shortening the QA process. There are no requirements for proprietary extensions with Type 5 Connect for JDBC drivers because of their strict adherence to the JDBC specification. Businesses with off-the-shelf applications or technologies that don t permit access to underlying JDBC code don t have to worry about being locked out of leveraging key functionality.

7 6 Moreover, deploying applications with Progress DataDirect Type 5 JDBC drivers means fewer files to deploy and keep track of no matter what environment or driver functionality is required. All Type 5 Connect for JDBC drivers install as a single JAR file per database no matter what JVM, JVM version, version of the database, or driver functionality is being used. Deployment headaches associated with figuring out what JAR files, DLLs, or shared libraries to deploy onto each client machine are completely eliminated. Perhaps the most remarkable feature of Progress DataDirect Type 5 JDBC drivers, referred to as codeless enhancement, allows users to enable and tune features and functionality via connection options. With this approach, Type 5 Connect for JDBC drivers eliminate the need for code changes when adding features or tuning for performance. As a result, Type 5 Connect for JDBC drivers allow existing applications to immediately leverage advanced features and functionality such as high availability (failover), bulk load, and statement pooling. These capabilities enable enterprise architects to truly exploit the advanced functionality of enterprise Java technologies and quickly realize return on investment at multiple points within the application stack. Superior Application Performance and Scalability Applications that use Type 5 JDBC drivers run faster and continue. to do so even as more users are added. Benchmark tests show that the Progress DataDirect Type 5 JDBC driver delivers superior throughput than competitive drivers. The results were very conclusive Type 5 driver throughput is unmatched, on average processing % more work in a given time period. In most tests, the Progress DataDirect driver throughput stays high and even increases as more users are added. When compared with a popular Type 4 JDBC driver for Oracle, the Type 5 Progress DataDirect Connect for JDBC Oracle driver delivers over four times as much throughput in one test. This benefit was seen in both singleuser and multi-user (100+) scenarios and means that the driver can deliver far more work in a given unit of time or deliver a unit of work much, much faster than competitive drivers.

8 7 Smaller Application Runtime Footprint Applications that switch to Type 5 JDBC drivers see a significant reduction in runtime CPU and memory footprint, which translates into improved application response time and scalability and boosts the degree of server consolidation possible in a virtualized environment. Progress DataDirect Type 5 JDBC drivers use considerably fewer CPU cycles to deliver superior throughput than Type 4 technology in many cases delivering over 2.5 times more throughput per CPU cycle. Progress DataDirect Type 5 drivers also use significantly less memory while doing more work than Type 4 drivers, in some cases using less than a quarter of the memory. On one type of test, the Type 5 Connect for JDBC MySQL driver reduces memory usage by up to 90% over a popular Type 4 JDBC driver for MySQL. During the same test, CPU efficiency was also significantly higher with the Type 5 driver. These results lower the resource requirements of the application, thus increasing the server consolidation ratios that can be achieved via virtualization. Progress DataDirect Next-generation Technology, Today Progress DataDirect Connect for JDBC drivers build on the positive features found with Type 4 drivers and take the technology to the next level Type 5. By streamlining application development, deployment and enhancement, by delivering superior application performance and scalability at runtime, and by reducing the application runtime footprint, Progress DataDirect Type 5 JDBC drivers mitigate the technical limitations imposed by outgunned Type 4 drivers that no longer keep pace within the highly evolved Java ecosystem. Traditionally, many enterprises have not viewed JDBC drivers as a strategic investment. However, Progress DataDirect Type 5 JDBC drivers turn that trend on its head by offering businesses an easy way take advantage of years of innovation in database features, data access models, and virtualization technologies without requiring changes to the application. Whether the benefits sought are a simplified data connectivity infrastructure, accelerated front-line productivity, or dramatically reduced IT operational costs, enterprises of all shapes and sizes should make it a priority to evaluate Progress DataDirect Connect for JDBC drivers and experience the many operational benefits of Type 5 JDBC technology.

9 Progress Sof t ware Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ: PRGS) is a global software company that enables enterprises to be operationally responsive to changing conditions and customer interactions as they occur. Our goal is to enable our customers to capitalize on new opportunities, drive greater efficiencies, and reduce risk. Progress offers a comprehensive portfolio of best-in-class infrastructure software spanning event-driven visibility and real-time response, open integration, data access and integration, and application development and management all supporting on-premises and SaaS/cloud deployments. Progress maximizes the benefits of operational responsiveness while minimizing IT complexity and total cost of ownership. Worldwide Headquarters Progress Software Corporation, 14 Oak Park, Bedford, MA USA. Tel: Fax: On the Web at: For regional international office locations and contact information, please refer to the Web page below: Progress, DataDirect, DataDirect Connect, DataDirect Connect for JDBC and Business Making Progress are trademarks or registered trademarks of Progress Software Corporation or one of its affiliates or subsidiaries in the U.S. and other countries. Any other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. Specifications subject to change without notice Progress Software Corporation and/or its subsidiaries or affiliates. All rights reserved. Rev. 7/