Configuring a JDBC provider using the administrative console

To create connections between an application and a relational database, the application server uses the driver implementation classes that are encapsulated by the Java™ Database Connectivity (JDBC) provider.

1. Open the administrative console.
2. Click Resources > JDBC > JDBC Providers.
3. Select the scope at which applications can use the JDBC provider.
   The scope that you select becomes the scope of any data source that you associate with this provider. You can choose a cell, node, cluster, or server. For more information about scope and how it can affect resources, see the administrative scope settings.
4. Click New.
   This action causes the Create a new JDBC Provider wizard to launch.
5. Use the first drop-down list to select the database type of the JDBC provider that you must create.
   The User-Defined option: Select User-Defined for your database type if you encounter either of the following scenarios:

   • You do not see your database type.
   • You cannot select the JDBC provider type that you need in the next step.

   The user-defined selection triggers the wizard panel to display your provider type as a user-defined JDBC provider, and your implementation type as user-defined. Consult your database documentation for the JDBC driver class files, data source properties, and so on, that are required for your user-defined provider. You must supply this information about the next two panels:

   • database class path
   • database-specific properties
6. Select your JDBC provider type if it is displayed in the second drop-down list.
   Select Show Deprecated to trigger the display of both current and deprecated providers. If you cannot find your provider in this expanded list, then select User-Defined from the previous list of database types.
7. From the third drop-down list, select the implementation type that is necessary for your application.
   If your application does not require that connections support two-phase commit transactions, choose Connection Pool Data Source. Choose XA Data Source, however, if your application requires connections that support two-phase commit transactions. Applications that use this data source configuration have the benefit of container-managed transaction recovery.

   After you select an implementation type, the wizard fills the name and the description fields for your JDBC provider. You can type different values for these fields; they exist for administrative purposes only.

8. Click Next to see the Enter database class path information wizard panel.
9. In the class path field, type the full path location of the database JDBC driver class files.
   Your class path information becomes the value of the WebSphere® environment variable that is displayed on this panel, in the form of ${DATABASE_JDBC_DRIVER_PATH}. The application server uses the variable to define your JDBC provider; this practice eliminates the must specify static JDBC class paths for individual applications. Remember that if you do not provide the full, correct JDBC driver class path for the variable, your data source ultimately fails. If the field already displays a fully qualified class path, you can accept that variable definition by completing the rest of this wizard panel and clicking Next.

   Note: The application server supports multiple versions of the selected JDBC driver for the DataDirect ConnectJDBC type 4 driver for MS SQL Server. Each version of the JDBC driver has a unique class path. Select the appropriate version of the JDBC driver so the class path is populated correctly.
10. Use the Native library path field to specify additional class files that your JDBC driver might require to function properly on your application server platform. Type the full directory path name of these class files.
    Avoid trouble: If you are using an Oracle OCI driver as your JDBC provider, you must specify the path to where the native libraries are stored. If you do not specify a native library path, the first time you try to connect using this provider, class loader errors occur.
11. Click Next to see a summary of your JDBC provider settings.
12. Click Finish if you are satisfied with the JDBC provider configuration.
    You now see the JDBC provider collection panel, which displays your new JDBC provider in a table along with other providers that are configured for the same scope.