With Java in the database, you can install pure Java classes in a SQL system, and then use those classes in a natural manner as datatypes in a SQL database. This capability adds a full object-oriented datatype extension mechanism to SQL, using a model that is widely understood and a language that is portable and widely available. The objects that you create and store with this facility are readily transferable to any Java-enabled environment, either in another SQL system or standalone Java environment.
This capability of using Java classes in the database has two different but complementary uses:
It provides a type extension mechanism for SQL, which you can use for data that is created and processed in SQL.
It provides a persistent data capability for Java, which you can use to store data in SQL that is created and processed (mainly) in Java. Java in Adaptive Server provides a distinct advantage over traditional SQL facilities: you do not need to map the Java objects into scalar SQL datatypes or store the Java objects as untyped binary strings.
