Java in the Database FAQ

This section describes the key features of Java in the database.

• What Are the Key Features of Java in the Database?
  Detailed explanations of all the following points appear in later sections.
• How Can I Use My Own Java Classes in Databases?
  The Java language is more powerful than SQL. Java is an object-oriented language, so its instructions (source code) come in the form of classes. To execute Java in a database, you write the Java instructions outside the database and compile them outside the database into compiled classes (byte code), which are binary files holding Java instructions.
• How Does Java Get Executed in a Database?
  SAP Sybase IQ launches a Java VM. The Java VM interprets compiled Java instructions and runs them on behalf of the database server. The database server starts the Java VM automatically when needed: you do not have to take any explicit action to start or stop the Java VM.