Java in the Database

Abstract

Java plays an important role in the application development space today. It has become increasingly popular over the years, because it is cross-platform, powerful, and easy to learn. Although Java development is not directly related to PL/SQL, it is important for a PL/SQL developer to learn a bit about Java since there are some major benefits to using it to perform database tasks. Integrating the two languages when you’re building Oracle Database applications is a seamless effort. Oracle Database 1 1g contains JVM compatibility with Java 1.5, which includes substantial changes to the Java language, making it an even more complementary development platform. Also starting with Oracle 11g, the database includes a just-in-time compiler, which compiles Java bytecode into machine language instructions, making Java in the database run much faster. In 2010, Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems, so it now owns Java. This may help the database JVM compatibility remain in concert with the latest releases.