ODBC and JDBC Developer’s Guide

Chapter 3
Using JDBC to share FileMaker data
If you’re a Java programmer, you can use the JDBC client driver with any Rapid Application Development
(RAD) tool to visually create a Java application or applet that connects to a FileMaker data source. The Java
application or applet that uses the JDBC client driver can directly access the data in a FileMaker database file.
About JDBC
JDBC is a Java API for executing SQL statements, the standard language for accessing relational databases.
JDBC is a name and not an acronym—although it is thought of as standing for “Java Database Connectivity”
because it is the Java equivalent for ODBC. JDBC is a low-level interface, which means that it is used to call
SQL commands directly. It is also designed to be used as a base for higher level interfaces and tools.
Your Java applet or application can talk directly to a FileMaker database file by using the JDBC client driver.
Your SQL statements are delivered to the FileMaker host of the database file and the results of those statements
are sent back to you. If you use FileMaker
Server to host, the FileMaker database file you’re using as a data
source can be located on another machine (the server machine) connected to the network, while your Java
applet or client application is located on your machine (the client machine). This is referred to as a client/server
configuration.
Using the JDBC client driver
You can use the JDBC client driver with a Java compiler or RAD tool to connect with your database while you
build the code for your Java application or applet. After the Java application or applet has been created, the
JDBC client driver must be present with the files or included within the code in order for the application or
applet to communicate with the database.
To use the JDBC client driver, your Java application or applet must register the driver with the JDBC driver
manager and you must specify the correct JDBC URL from within the application or applet. You need the
JDBC URL to make the connection to the database.
Installing the JDBC client driver
The JDBC client driver is packaged as a Java archive file (with the .jar filename extension) containing a
collection of class files. You can download the latest version of the JDBC client driver (for Windows or
Mac
OS) and PDFs of FileMaker 7 JDBC documentation from www.filemaker.com/odbc. See the Installing
FileMaker ODBC and JDBC Client Drivers
PDF file for information.
DBMS proprietary protocol
Java
application
JDBC driver
FileMaker
Client machine Database server