Select a Database


When you enter the Select a Data Source screen, you will see all available JDBC or ODBC-compatible Databases that JDesignerPro is aware of. If you do not see one that you require, add it by first pressing the New button, then entering the name of the database that you wish to use in the Database name field. Next select the JDBC Driver, Prefix and Suffix. Then press Connect. From now on this data source will appear automatically in this screen list.

The purpose of the Select a Data Source screen is to allow you to choose which data source to use for the component you are building. Since every Data Component that you use with JDesignerPro is data-bound, selection of the data to which the screen will be bound is the first and most important step.

Select a Database Settings:

Data source list. The list at the left of the screen shows you the JDBC/ODBC system data sources visible to JDesignerPro. This set of databases can include any JDBC/ODBC-compliant products, as listed earlier in this section.

Database Name. Double-clicking a database in the list will populate this field with the name of the data source. It does not allow editing here unless you are adding a new Database.

JDBC Driver. When creating a new database definition select the JDBC driver that you require from the list. You may also enter the name manually if the driver you wish to use does not appear in the list.

JDBC Prefix. When creating a new database definition select the JDBC prefix that you require from the list. You may also enter the name manually if the prefix you wish to use does not appear in the list.

JDBC Suffix. If you are using the jdbc:odbc: prefix then you can choose the database from the pulldown. If you are using another JDBC driver then you need to enter the hostname:port to the database. If the database resides on the same machine as JaggServer often simply entering @ will suffice. Do not place the username/password in the suffix. Use the User ID/Password fields if your database requires a username/password.

Type. The type field will reflect the type of database currently being viewed.

User ID. Enter your User ID for logging into this database. This is the User ID required by the database itself, not your JDesignerPro User ID. In order for you to have update, delete and other modification privileges, commercial database products generally require an authorized login.

If your datasource requires no ID or Password, leave these blank. The JDesignerPro DB datasource requires no ID or password.

Password. Enter the password that goes with your User ID.

Extra Connect Parms(Parameters). When you press the Connect button at the bottom of the screen JDesignerPro will create the connect string automatically for you. If you wish, you can enter it here yourself instead of filling in the fields above.

Max rows to return. This is where you can limit the number of rows that are returned from a query. This setting helps you control the amount of network traffic since rows from queries that are unreasonably large will not be returned beyond this setting. The default is 1000 rows.

Timeout. If data access results are not returned within this number of seconds, the access attempt will be terminated. This avoids useless hanging when the database is not available. The default is 60 seconds.

Connect using. This pull down gives you the choice of logging into the database as your JDesignerPro User ID or as the one you type in the fields. The User ID and Password chosen here will be the one used to login to the database when your final applet is run. Your end-users do not login to the database directly. They login to JDesignerPro which in turn logs in as your account to the database. The update control is managed by your forms and access levels set within the JDesignerPro system. To limit a user’s access, you limit the update capability of the form.

Connect button. Press Connect when you are ready to open a session with the selected database. It is not a full-time open connection. This allows a high degree of scalability in JDesignerPro. Thousands of users can have your JDesignerPro interface open at the same time while each retains access to the database.

New button. To add a new database to the list, press New and enter its name and details. When you have entered your details, press Connect. JDesignerPro will find your data source, connect to it and move you to the Select Table screen.