Introduction

In a typical enterprise application environment, DB2 applications often use the SQLJ tools db2sqljcustomize and db2sqljbind. These SQLJ tools call Java programs that provide tooling necessary for customizing and binding SQLJ applications. In the current design, these Java programs then return to the shell with an exit code. This is accomplished through the JVM-supported System.exit() call. A 0 (zero) indicates success, while a non-zero return code indicates failure of the customization or bind process.

System.exit() means the JVM exits and is unsuitable for special build tools like Ant or Maven, which need a continuous JVM. In the past, there was no alternate way by which you could trap the System.exit or JVM exit after customization and the bind process. In such cases, you had to run the application again to continue with the rest of the business logic. This would be fine when running the utilities in a shell script, but in a special build tool like Ant, when a Java program calls System.exit(), it can cause problems. For example, if the build tool, such as Ant, works with a default security manager that does not trap System.exit and executes in the same JVM as Ant, it may exit after the customization or bind process.

In this article, you'll take a tour of the new JDBC Universal Driver global property db2.jcc.sqljToolsExitJVMOnCompletion and see how to use it.

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Prerequisites

To use the new global property, you need the following:

• A simple SQLJ application and SQLJ serialized profile — A Java application with embedded SQL statements. Translation of SQLJ applications produce .class files and one or more serialized profiles. It calls the Java compiler by default.
• A simple JDBC application — A simple Java application having SQLJ tools like db2sqljcustomize and db2sqljbind.
• IBM DB2 Universal Driver for SQLJ and JDBC — The Universal Driver is com.ibm.db2.jcc.DB2Driver and is contained in db2jcc.jar. The sqlj.zip contains the SQLJ translator.
• Global property file DB2JccConfiguration.properties — This resource file is to set the property db2.jcc.sqljToolsExitJVMOnCompletion. The property can be set in DB2Configuration.properties or passed via -D to the Java command. There are also other ways in which you can set the property, refer to the Information Center section on Customization of IBM Data Server Driver for JDBC and SQLJ configuration properties.

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Advantages of the new JCC property

The new global JCC property db2.jcc.sqljToolsExitJVMOnCompletion has a Boolean return type. The default value for this property is true, which means that all SQLJ tools will call System.exit() upon completion. To trap System.exit() after SQLJ tools execution, you need to set the property value as false: db2.jcc.sqljToolsExitJVMOnCompletion=false.

Whether there is an error or not, by default, the JVM will exit when System.exit is called. The execution of SQLJ tools call System.exit regardless of an error. When the property is set to false, the shell gets a 0 return code even in case of customization failure. You can use customizeMain programmatically to get a return code from the method.

If you set the property value as db2.jcc.sqljToolsExitJVMOnCompletion=false and there is an error in the customize or bind process, the application return code will be 0.

if you set the property value as db2.jcc.sqljToolsExitJVMOnCompletion=true and there is an error in the customize or bind process, application return code will be non-zero.

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Sample application use case and configuration

Step 1: Setting the classpath

Make sure you have put the Universal Driver JAR files db2jcc.jar and sqlj.zip into the classpath.

Step 2: Writing a simple SQLJ application

This SQLJ application connects to a database with data source object ds and fetches the rows from existing table Employee with positioned iterator ByPos.

			
import java.sql.*;

// Create connection context class DB2Connect
#sql context DB2Connect; 
			
// Declare positioned iterator ByPos
#sql  iterator ByPos(String,int);

public class sqljapp {

	public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception
	{ 
	// Create a DataSource object ds
	   javax.sql.DataSource ds = 
	    new com.ibm.db2.jcc.DB2SimpleDataSource();
					
	   ((com.ibm.db2.jcc.DB2BaseDataSource) ds).
		setServerName("localhost");

	   ((com.ibm.db2.jcc.DB2BaseDataSource) ds).
		setPortNumber(50000);

	   ((com.ibm.db2.jcc.DB2BaseDataSource) ds).
	      setDatabaseName("SAMPLE");

	   ((com.ibm.db2.jcc.DB2BaseDataSource) ds).
	      setDriverType(4); 
				   
	   java.sql.Connection con = 
	   ds.getConnection("administrator", "passwd");

	   // Creating connection context object db2con
	   DB2Connect db2con = new DB2Connect(con);

	   // Declare the object of ByPos class 
	   ByPos positer;

	   // Use db2con for executing an SQL statement
         #sql[db2con] positer= { select * from EMPLOYEE }; 
    	}

}

Step 3: Translating the SQLJ application

Translating the application generates a standard Java source file, plus an SQLJ serialized profile (sqljapp_SJProfile0.ser).

			
C:\jcc_home3\jcc>sqlj sqljapp.sqlj

Step 4: Executing the Java application

This is a simple Java application in which you are passing parameters to the customization utility. You are executing the Java application in a single JVM without a new property. The application should exit to the caller with a return code using the System.exit(). The return code will be 0 if customization executes successfully. The application should not call any code (the function fun_checkJVM) after completing the db2sqljcustomize utility.

			
public class JVMexit {

	public static void main(String a[]) throws Exception {

		// Array of String as parameters to db2sqljcustomize
		String[] cmd = { "-url", "jdbc:db2://localhost:50000/SAMPLE", 
		"-user","administrator", "-password", "passwd", "-onlinecheck",
		"YES", "-rootPkgName", "BCB", "-collection", "COL18",
		"-tracefile", "trace_cust.txt", "-tracelevel", "TRACE_ALL",
		"sqljapp_SJProfile0.ser" };

		// Create an object of db2sqljcustomize
		com.ibm.db2.jcc.sqlj.Customizer cust = new 
		com.ibm.db2.jcc.sqlj.Customizer();

		// Execute the db2sqljcustomize with arguements
		cust.main(cmd);

		/* Function to check if JVM exited or not,if exited it will not call
		   below function or else it will. */
		fun_checkJVM();

	}

	private static void fun_checkJVM() {
		System.out.println("JVM didn't exit");

	}

}

So far, you have seen how to execute the Java application in a single JVM without using the new global property. (The default value of the property is true — db2.jcc.sqljToolsExitJVMOnCompletion=true). Now let's look at a scenario where you can set the value of the property as db2.jcc.sqljToolsExitJVMOnCompletion=false in the global property file DB2JccConfiguration.properties to execute the same Java application.

Step 5: Global file DB2JccConfiguration.properties

Create a resource file named DB2JccConfiguration.properties, put it in the classpath and add the property as shown below.

			
//Add the property value as false in file
db2.jcc.sqljToolsExitJVMOnCompletion=false
			

Step 6: Execute the Java application

The application will execute the code after the customization process completes. The function fun_checkJVM() will be called, which proves that the application did not call System.exit() after the customization process completion.

Now look at a scenario where you want to execute the whole Java application with an error in the customization process. By setting the property value as false (db2.jcc.sqljToolsExitJVMOnCompletion=false), you can achieve that as well.

Step 7: Execute the Java application including wrong parameters

In the example of execution of an application with wrong parameters, an error exists in customizer/bind process even though the application calls function fun_checkJVM(), which proves that application did not call System.exit() after the customization process completion.

			
public class JVMexit {

	public static void main(String a[]) throws Exception {

		// Array of String with wrong port # as parameter to db2sqljcustomize
		
		String[] cmd = { "-url", "jdbc:db2://localhost:5000/SAMPLE", 
		"-user","administrator", "-password", "passwd", "-onlinecheck",
		"YES", "-rootPkgName", "BCB", "-collection", "COL18",
		"-tracefile", "trace_cust.txt", "-tracelevel", "TRACE_ALL",
		"sqljapp_SJProfile0.ser" };

		// Create an object of db2sqljcustomize
		com.ibm.db2.jcc.sqlj.Customizer cust = new 
		com.ibm.db2.jcc.sqlj.Customizer();

		// Execute the db2sqljcustomize with arguments
		cust.main(cmd);

		/* Function to check if JVM exited or not,if exited it will not call
		   below function or else it will. */
		fun_checkJVM();

	}

	private static void fun_checkJVM() {
		System.out.println("JVM didn't exit");

	}

}
			

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Conclusion

In this article, we have shown how you can use the new property db2.jcc.sqljToolsExitJVMOnCompletion to trap System.exit() upon completion of SQLJ tools such as customization and bind. Once you set the property value as false, the application will not exit JVM even if there is an error in the execution of SQLJ tools, and you can continue with execution of your application.

Resources

Learn

• Refer to the Information Center section about db2sqljcustomize and db2sqljbind for more information about these tools.
  
  
• Learn more about Customization of IBM Data Server Driver for JDBC and SQLJ configuration properties in the Information Center.
  
  
• Learn more about DB2 in the DB2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows on developerWorks.
  
  
• Learn more about Java application development with DB2.
  
  
• Learn more about Information Management at the developerWorks Information Management zone. Find technical documentation, how-to articles, education, downloads, product information, and more.
  
  
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About the author

Sujan Ghosh has been a software engineer at the IBM lab in India for more than four years as a member of the DB2 Java common connectivity and pureQuery client optimization team. Most of his projects have been based on DB2 and Java technology. He is an IBM Certified Database Administrator for DB2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows, and an IBM Certified Solution Developer for XML.

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Table of contents

• Introduction
• Prerequisites
• Advantages of the new JCC property
• Sample application use case and configuration
• Conclusion
• Resources
• About the author
• Comments

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