Database Programming with JDBC & Java, Second Edition

Batch Processing

Complex systems often require both online and batch processing. Each kind of processing has very different requirements. Because online processing involves a user waiting on application processing order, the timing and performance of each statement execution in a process is important. Batch processing, on the other hand, occurs when a bunch of distinct transactions need to occur independently of user interaction. A bank’s ATM machine is an example of a system of online processes. The monthly process that calculates and adds interest to your savings account is an example of a batch process.

JDBC 2.0 introduced new functionality to address the specific issues of batch processing. Using the JDBC 2.0 batch facilities, you can assign a series of SQL statements to a JDBC Statement (or one of its subclasses) to be submitted together for execution by the database. Using the techniques you have learned so far in this book, account interest-calculation processing occurs roughly in the following fashion:

1. Prepare statement.

2. Bind parameters.

3. Execute.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each account.

This style of processing requires a lot of “back and forth” between the Java application and the database. JDBC 2.0 batch processing provides a simpler, more efficient approach to this kind of processing:

1. Prepare statement.

2. Bind parameters.

3. Add to batch.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until interest has been assigned for each account.

5. Execute.

Under batch processing, there is no “back and forth” between the database ...