Data concepts

Relational resource adapters and JCA
A resource adapter is a system-level software driver that a Java™ application uses to connect to an enterprise information system (EIS). A resource adapter plugs into an application server and provides connectivity between the EIS, the application server, and the enterprise application.
JDBC providers
Installed applications use JDBC providers to interact with relational databases.
Data sources
Installed applications use a data source to obtain connections to a relational database. A data source is analogous to the Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE) Connector Architecture (JCA) connection factory, which provides connectivity to other types of enterprise information systems (EIS).
Data access beans
Data access beans provide a rich set of features and function, while hiding much of the complexity associated with accessing relational databases.
Connection management architecture
The connection management architecture for both relational and procedural access to enterprise information systems (EIS) is based on the Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE) Connector Architecture (JCA) specification. The Connection Manager (CM), which pools and manages connections within an application server, is capable of managing connections obtained through both resource adapters (RAs) defined by the JCA specification, and data sources defined by the Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) 2.0 (and later) Extensions specification.
Service Data Objects: Resources for learning
Use the following links to find relevant supplemental information about the service data object and various other functions that can be used with it. The information resides on IBM® and non-IBM Internet sites, whose sponsors control the technical accuracy of the information.