Add SQL Server Microsoft JDBC Driver to SuperCHANNEL

JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) is a programming interface that lets Java applications access a relational database.

SuperCHANNEL needs a JDBC driver so that it can access the relational database system (e.g. SQL Server, Oracle, etc) where your source data is stored.

Before you can run SuperCHANNEL, you need to install the appropriate JDBC driver and configure SuperCHANNEL so that it can access the driver.

In most cases the JDBC drivers are supplied by the database vendors. STR does not supply the drivers.

Microsoft SQL Server

If your source data is stored in a Microsoft SQL Server database, then you can configure SuperCHANNEL to use the Microsoft JDBC Driver for SQL Server. This driver is a pure Java (type 4) JDBC 4.0 driver for Microsoft SQL Server (6.5, 7, 2000, 2005, 2008 and 2012).

Step 1 - Download and Install the Driver

1. Download the latest version of the Microsoft JDBC Driver for SQL Server from http://www.microsoft.com/en-au/download/details.aspx?id=11774. The download file will be an executable with a name similar to sqljdbc_4.0.2206.100_enu.exe

2. Run the executable to extract the files.

   

   
   You will be prompted to enter a folder name to receive the unzipped files.

   

3. Select a location that contains no spaces, such as D:\drivers

   

4. Wait for the driver package to unzip all the files.
   

   

   
   The root directory for the downloaded files is sqljdbc_4.0

   

   
   The driver jar files themselves are unpacked under a directory that depends on the language you chose for the download. For example, here the directory is enu, as an English download was chosen.
   

   

   

   After the package unpacks, you can view the JDBC Help System by opening %InstallationDirectory%\Microsoft JDBC Driver 4.0 for SQL Server\sqljdbc_<version> <language>\help\default.htm
   

   To support backward compatibility and possible upgrade scenarios, the JDBC Driver includes two JAR class libraries in each installation package: sqljdbc.jar and sqljdbc4.jar

   • In most cases you will need to use sqljdbc4.jar
   • The sqljdbc.jar class library provides support for JDBC 3.0. It requires Java Runtime Environment (JRE) version 5.0. Using sqljdbc.jar with JRE 6.0 or JRE 7.0 will throw an exception when connecting to a database.
   • You should retain the subdirectory structure that was created by the self-extracting archive. You cannot copy and use the jar files in isolation from the rest of the extracted files.

Step 2 - Edit the SuperCHANNEL Configuration

1. Locate the SuperCHANNEL configuration file, config.txt. If you chose the default installation options, this file will be located in C:\ProgramData\STR\SuperCHANNEL\bin
   
   

   Make a backup copy of this file before making any changes.

2. Open config.txt in a text editor.

3. Locate the line that defines the Java Class Path variable (java.class.path), and add the full path to the driver JAR file to the end of the line.
   
   Using the example above, where the driver files were extracted to D:\drivers and the full path to sqljdbc4.jar is D:\drivers\sqljdbc_4.0\enu\sqljdbc4.jar, you would enter:
   
   D:\drivers\sqljdbc_4.0\enu\sqljdbc4.jar;

   

   Each entry in the Java Class Path definition must be separated by a semi colon, and there must also be a semi colon at the end of the line.

4. Locate the line that defines the jdbc.drivers and add the following to the end of the line:
   
   :com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerDriver

   

   Each entry in the jdbc.drivers definition must be separated by a colon.

5. Save config.txt.

The following example shows the two additions to the configuration file:

Step 3 - SQL Server Express Only

If you are using SQL Server Express, you may encounter a connection error ("connection refused") when you attempt to connect to the database in SuperCHANNEL. This is because SQL Server Express is configured by default to use dynamic TCP/IP ports.

Before starting SuperCHANNEL, do the following:

1. Open SQL Server Configuration Manager.
2. Select SQL Server Network Configuration.
3. Select Protocols for MSSQLSERVER or Protocols for SQLEXPRESS (depending on your SQL Server version).
4. Open the TCP/IP Properties and select the IP Addresses tab.
5. Check at the bottom whether TCP Dynamic Ports has a value. If it does, clear the value and leave the field blank.
6. Change TCP Port to 1433 (or your preferred port).

Step 4 - Start SuperCHANNEL

Start SuperCHANNEL, and use the following connection string to connect to SQL Server:

jdbc:sqlserver://<servername>;databaseName=<databasename>

Where:

• <servername> is the name of your host for SQL Server
• <databasename> is the name of the source database to connect to.

See "Building the Connection URL" in the driver help system for further information about the format of the connection string, and the other possible options.

You will also need to provide user credentials (for SQL Server authentication) and a schema name for connection to succeed:

Step 5 - Add Drivers to SNU

This step is optional. If you intend to run SuperCHANNEL from the command line or via scripting, you should also add the drivers to snu.bat. This is the SuperCHANNEL batch file, located in C:\ProgramData\STR\SuperCHANNEL\bin by default.

Make a backup copy of this file before making any changes.

Add the driver entry to the last statement in the file. This is the Java call to execute the program.