Oracle JDBC drivers for WebLogic 12c upgrade

Turn to DataDirect for a commercial Oracle JDBC driver that supports all database versions (8i-12c).

After seeing all the new features in WebLogic 12c like cloud security, a lot of Oracle shops are starting to upgrade their systems. For many Oracle shops, it’s common to run a wide range of database versions including 8.1.7 (8i), 9i, 10g, 11g and 12c. This can cause trouble because while the Oracle 11g Thin JDBC driver bundled with WebLogic 12c works well with the latest versions of Oracle, it does not support versions before 11g.

Don’t worry, though. In this situation, you can turn to Progress® DataDirect® for a commercial Oracle JDBC driver that supports all versions (8i-12c). DataDirect is already the trusted partner for JDBC data connectivity from WebLogic 12c to connect to supported databases across SQL Server, DB2, Sybase and Informix. To get started, just follow along with the instructions below.

Getting Started with DataDirect Weblogic 12c Oracle JDBC Connectivity

1. Download Connect for JDBC Oracle driver.
2. Configure the DataDirect JDBC Oracle driver as a third-party JDBC driver. According to the Oracle documentation:

If you plan to use a third-party JDBC driver that is not installed with the WebLogic Server, you need to update the WebLogic Server's classpath to include the location of the JDBC driver classes. Edit the commEnv.cmd/sh script in WL_HOME/common/bin and prepend your classes as described in "Modifying the Classpath" in the Command Reference for Oracle WebLogic Server.

3. Remove any references to non-JDBC compliant classes or methods. This is a recommended best practice for your code.

Get More from DataDirect JDBC for Oracle

By investing in a commercial Oracle JDBC solution for WebLogic you’ll get more than just the best data connectivity for your applications. The following represents just a few of these features. For a complete reference of special features in our WebLogic drivers, check out the list of connection properties in the driver documentation.

Improved JDBC Performance

All DataDirect JDBC drivers are sent through the gauntlet in the world famous Performance Lab, where we run tests 24/7 to ensure our drivers are the fastest in the world. We measure both raw throughput and resources utilization (memory, CPU, # calls to garbage collector, etc.).

Related JDBC connection properties:

See the documentation chapter on performance considerations.

Transparent Bulk Load

If you run a batch load process using addBatch/executeBatch code, the DataDirect Oracle JDBC driver can transparently leverage the native Oracle bulk interfaces for an instant performance boost without any additional components or code changes.

Related JDBC connection properties:

• EnableBulkLoad=true

Example:

jdbc:datadirect:oracle://server3:1521;ServiceName=ORCL;User=test;
 Password=secret;EnableBulkLoad=true

This connection string provides an instant performance boost for inserts without changing a single line of code.

High Availability

DataDirect high availability features support failover and load balancing at the driver level against mirrored Oracle servers. It also works in conjunction with Oracle RAC. The level of recovery after a failover happens at the connection level, all the way down to repositioning a cursor in the middle of a select operation. Absolutely NO code changes are required to support this.

Related JDBC connection properties:

• AlternateServers
• FailoverGranularity
• FailoverMode
• FailoverPreconnect

Example:

jdbc:datadirect:oracle://server1:1521;ServiceName=TEST;
 AlternateServers=(server2:1521;ServiceName=TEST2,server3:1521;
 ServiceName=TEST3);FailoverMode=select

This connection string gives similar functionality as Oracle TAF without changing a single line of code.

Upgrade your WebLogic 12c Connectivity

All you need to get started is to pick up a trial of our DataDirect Connect JDBC for Oracle driver. For any questions or comments, please contact us or leave a message in the comment section below.