Comprehensive information about the database as a whole.

This interface is implemented by driver vendors to let users know the capabilities of a Database Management System (DBMS) in combination with the driver based on JDBCTM technology ("JDBC driver") that is used with it. Different relational DBMSs often support different features, implement features in different ways, and use different data types. In addition, a driver may implement a feature on top of what the DBMS offers. Information returned by methods in this interface applies to the capabilities of a particular driver and a particular DBMS working together. Note that as used in this documentation, the term "database" is used generically to refer to both the driver and DBMS.

A user for this interface is commonly a tool that needs to discover how to deal with the underlying DBMS. This is especially true for applications that are intended to be used with more than one DBMS. For example, a tool might use the method getTypeInfo to find out what data types can be used in a CREATE TABLE statement. Or a user might call the method supportsCorrelatedSubqueries to see if it is possible to use a correlated subquery or supportsBatchUpdates to see if it is possible to use batch updates.

Some DatabaseMetaData methods return lists of information in the form of ResultSet objects. Regular ResultSet methods, such as getString and getInt, can be used to retrieve the data from these ResultSet objects. If a given form of metadata is not available, the ResultSet getter methods throw an SQLException.

Some DatabaseMetaData methods take arguments that are String patterns. These arguments all have names such as fooPattern. Within a pattern String, "%" means match any substring of 0 or more characters, and "_" means match any one character. Only metadata entries matching the search pattern are returned. If a search pattern argument is set to null, that argument's criterion will be dropped from the search.

A method that gets information about a feature that the driver does not support will throw an SQLException. In the case of methods that return a ResultSet object, either a ResultSet object (which may be empty) is returned or an SQLException is thrown.

Indicates that NULL values might not be allowed.

A possible value for the column NULLABLE in the ResultSet object returned by the method getAttributes.

Indicates that NULL values are definitely allowed.

A possible value for the column NULLABLE in the ResultSet object returned by the method getAttributes.

Indicates that whether NULL values are allowed is not known.

A possible value for the column NULLABLE in the ResultSet object returned by the method getAttributes.

Indicates that the best row identifier is NOT a pseudo column.

A possible value for the column PSEUDO_COLUMN in the ResultSet object returned by the method getBestRowIdentifier.

Indicates that the best row identifier is a pseudo column.

A possible value for the column PSEUDO_COLUMN in the ResultSet object returned by the method getBestRowIdentifier.

Indicates that the scope of the best row identifier is the remainder of the current session.

A possible value for the column SCOPE in the ResultSet object returned by the method getBestRowIdentifier.

Indicates that the scope of the best row identifier is very temporary, lasting only while the row is being used.

A possible value for the column SCOPE in the ResultSet object returned by the method getBestRowIdentifier.

Indicates that the scope of the best row identifier is the remainder of the current transaction.

A possible value for the column SCOPE in the ResultSet object returned by the method getBestRowIdentifier.

Indicates that the best row identifier may or may not be a pseudo column.

A possible value for the column PSEUDO_COLUMN in the ResultSet object returned by the method getBestRowIdentifier.

Indicates that the column might not allow NULL values.

A possible value for the column NULLABLE in the ResultSet returned by the method getColumns.

Indicates that the column definitely allows NULL values.

A possible value for the column NULLABLE in the ResultSet returned by the method getColumns.

Indicates that the nullability of columns is unknown.

A possible value for the column NULLABLE in the ResultSet returned by the method getColumns.

For the column UPDATE_RULE, indicates that when the primary key is updated, the foreign key (imported key) is changed to agree with it. For the column DELETE_RULE, it indicates that when the primary key is deleted, rows that imported that key are deleted.

A possible value for the columns UPDATE_RULE and DELETE_RULE in the ResultSet objects returned by the methods getImportedKeys, getExportedKeys, and getCrossReference.

Indicates deferrability. See SQL-92 for a definition.

A possible value for the column DEFERRABILITY in the ResultSet objects returned by the methods getImportedKeys, getExportedKeys, and getCrossReference.

Indicates deferrability. See SQL-92 for a definition.

A possible value for the column DEFERRABILITY in the ResultSet objects returned by the methods getImportedKeys, getExportedKeys, and getCrossReference.

For the columns UPDATE_RULE and DELETE_RULE, indicates that if the primary key has been imported, it cannot be updated or deleted.

A possible value for the columns UPDATE_RULE and DELETE_RULE in the ResultSet objects returned by the methods getImportedKeys, getExportedKeys, and getCrossReference.

Indicates deferrability. See SQL-92 for a definition.

A possible value for the column DEFERRABILITY in the ResultSet objects returned by the methods getImportedKeys, getExportedKeys, and getCrossReference.

For the column UPDATE_RULE, indicates that a primary key may not be updated if it has been imported by another table as a foreign key. For the column DELETE_RULE, indicates that a primary key may not be deleted if it has been imported by another table as a foreign key.

A possible value for the columns UPDATE_RULE and DELETE_RULE in the ResultSet objects returned by the methods getImportedKeys, getExportedKeys, and getCrossReference.

For the columns UPDATE_RULE and DELETE_RULE, indicates that if the primary key is updated or deleted, the foreign key (imported key) is set to the default value.

A possible value for the columns UPDATE_RULE and DELETE_RULE in the ResultSet objects returned by the methods getImportedKeys, getExportedKeys, and getCrossReference.

For the columns UPDATE_RULE and DELETE_RULE, indicates that when the primary key is updated or deleted, the foreign key (imported key) is changed to NULL.

A possible value for the columns UPDATE_RULE and DELETE_RULE in the ResultSet objects returned by the methods getImportedKeys, getExportedKeys, and getCrossReference.

Indicates that the column stores IN parameters.

A possible value for the column COLUMN_TYPE in the ResultSet returned by the method getProcedureColumns.

Indicates that the column stores INOUT parameters.

A possible value for the column COLUMN_TYPE in the ResultSet returned by the method getProcedureColumns.

Indicates that the column stores OUT parameters.

A possible value for the column COLUMN_TYPE in the ResultSet returned by the method getProcedureColumns.

Indicates that the column stores results.

A possible value for the column COLUMN_TYPE in the ResultSet returned by the method getProcedureColumns.

Indicates that the column stores return values.

A possible value for the column COLUMN_TYPE in the ResultSet returned by the method getProcedureColumns.

Indicates that type of the column is unknown.

A possible value for the column COLUMN_TYPE in the ResultSet returned by the method getProcedureColumns.

Indicates that NULL values are not allowed.

A possible value for the column NULLABLE in the ResultSet object returned by the method getProcedureColumns.

Indicates that the procedure does not return a result.

A possible value for column PROCEDURE_TYPE in the ResultSet object returned by the method getProcedures.

Indicates that NULL values are allowed.

A possible value for the column NULLABLE in the ResultSet object returned by the method getProcedureColumns.

Indicates that whether NULL values are allowed is unknown.

A possible value for the column NULLABLE in the ResultSet object returned by the method getProcedureColumns.

Indicates that it is not known whether the procedure returns a result.

A possible value for column PROCEDURE_TYPE in the ResultSet object returned by the method getProcedures.

Indicates that the procedure returns a result.

A possible value for column PROCEDURE_TYPE in the ResultSet object returned by the method getProcedures.

Indicates that the value is an SQL99 SQLSTATE value.

A possible return value for the method SQLException.getSQLState.

@since
1.4
Indicates that the value is an X/Open (now know as Open Group) SQL CLI SQLSTATE value.

A possible return value for the method SQLException.getSQLState.

@since
1.4
Indicates that this table index is a clustered index.

A possible value for column TYPE in the ResultSet object returned by the method getIndexInfo.

Indicates that this table index is a hashed index.

A possible value for column TYPE in the ResultSet object returned by the method getIndexInfo.

Indicates that this table index is not a clustered index, a hashed index, or table statistics; it is something other than these.

A possible value for column TYPE in the ResultSet object returned by the method getIndexInfo.

Indicates that this column contains table statistics that are returned in conjunction with a table's index descriptions.

A possible value for column TYPE in the ResultSet object returned by the method getIndexInfo.

Indicates that a NULL value is NOT allowed for this data type.

A possible value for column NULLABLE in the ResultSet object returned by the method getTypeInfo.

Indicates that a NULL value is allowed for this data type.

A possible value for column NULLABLE in the ResultSet object returned by the method getTypeInfo.

Indicates that it is not known whether a NULL value is allowed for this data type.

A possible value for column NULLABLE in the ResultSet object returned by the method getTypeInfo.

Indicates that one can base all WHERE search clauses except WHERE . . . LIKE on this data type.

A possible value for column SEARCHABLE in the ResultSet object returned by the method getTypeInfo.

Indicates that the only WHERE search clause that can be based on this type is WHERE . . . LIKE.

A possible value for column SEARCHABLE in the ResultSet object returned by the method getTypeInfo.

Indicates that WHERE search clauses are not supported for this type.

A possible value for column SEARCHABLE in the ResultSet object returned by the method getTypeInfo.

Indicates that all WHERE search clauses can be based on this type.

A possible value for column SEARCHABLE in the ResultSet object returned by the method getTypeInfo.

Indicates that this version column is NOT a pseudo column.

A possible value for the column PSEUDO_COLUMN in the ResultSet object returned by the method getVersionColumns.

Indicates that this version column is a pseudo column.

A possible value for the column PSEUDO_COLUMN in the ResultSet object returned by the method getVersionColumns.

Indicates that this version column may or may not be a pseudo column.

A possible value for the column PSEUDO_COLUMN in the ResultSet object returned by the method getVersionColumns.

Retrieves whether the current user can call all the procedures returned by the method getProcedures.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether the current user can use all the tables returned by the method getTables in a SELECT statement.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether a data definition statement within a transaction forces the transaction to commit.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database ignores a data definition statement within a transaction.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether or not a visible row delete can be detected by calling the method ResultSet.rowDeleted. If the method deletesAreDetected returns false, it means that deleted rows are removed from the result set.
Parameters
typethe ResultSet type; one of ResultSet.TYPE_FORWARD_ONLY, ResultSet.TYPE_SCROLL_INSENSITIVE, or ResultSet.TYPE_SCROLL_SENSITIVE
Return
true if deletes are detected by the given result set type; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.2
Retrieves whether the return value for the method getMaxRowSize includes the SQL data types LONGVARCHAR and LONGVARBINARY.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves a description of the given attribute of the given type for a user-defined type (UDT) that is available in the given schema and catalog.

Descriptions are returned only for attributes of UDTs matching the catalog, schema, type, and attribute name criteria. They are ordered by TYPE_SCHEM, TYPE_NAME and ORDINAL_POSITION. This description does not contain inherited attributes.

The ResultSet object that is returned has the following columns:

  1. TYPE_CAT String => type catalog (may be null)
  2. TYPE_SCHEM String => type schema (may be null)
  3. TYPE_NAME String => type name
  4. ATTR_NAME String => attribute name
  5. DATA_TYPE int => attribute type SQL type from java.sql.Types
  6. ATTR_TYPE_NAME String => Data source dependent type name. For a UDT, the type name is fully qualified. For a REF, the type name is fully qualified and represents the target type of the reference type.
  7. ATTR_SIZE int => column size. For char or date types this is the maximum number of characters; for numeric or decimal types this is precision.
  8. DECIMAL_DIGITS int => the number of fractional digits
  9. NUM_PREC_RADIX int => Radix (typically either 10 or 2)
  10. NULLABLE int => whether NULL is allowed
    • attributeNoNulls - might not allow NULL values
    • attributeNullable - definitely allows NULL values
    • attributeNullableUnknown - nullability unknown
  11. REMARKS String => comment describing column (may be null)
  12. ATTR_DEF String => default value (may be null)
  13. SQL_DATA_TYPE int => unused
  14. SQL_DATETIME_SUB int => unused
  15. CHAR_OCTET_LENGTH int => for char types the maximum number of bytes in the column
  16. ORDINAL_POSITION int => index of column in table (starting at 1)
  17. IS_NULLABLE String => "NO" means column definitely does not allow NULL values; "YES" means the column might allow NULL values. An empty string means unknown.
  18. SCOPE_CATALOG String => catalog of table that is the scope of a reference attribute (null if DATA_TYPE isn't REF)
  19. SCOPE_SCHEMA String => schema of table that is the scope of a reference attribute (null if DATA_TYPE isn't REF)
  20. SCOPE_TABLE String => table name that is the scope of a reference attribute (null if the DATA_TYPE isn't REF)
  21. SOURCE_DATA_TYPE short => source type of a distinct type or user-generated Ref type,SQL type from java.sql.Types (null if DATA_TYPE isn't DISTINCT or user-generated REF)
Parameters
cataloga catalog name; must match the catalog name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a catalog; null means that the catalog name should not be used to narrow the search
schemaPatterna schema name pattern; must match the schema name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a schema; null means that the schema name should not be used to narrow the search
typeNamePatterna type name pattern; must match the type name as it is stored in the database
attributeNamePatternan attribute name pattern; must match the attribute name as it is declared in the database
Return
a ResultSet object in which each row is an attribute description
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.4
Retrieves a description of a table's optimal set of columns that uniquely identifies a row. They are ordered by SCOPE.

Each column description has the following columns:

  1. SCOPE short => actual scope of result
    • bestRowTemporary - very temporary, while using row
    • bestRowTransaction - valid for remainder of current transaction
    • bestRowSession - valid for remainder of current session
  2. COLUMN_NAME String => column name
  3. DATA_TYPE int => SQL data type from java.sql.Types
  4. TYPE_NAME String => Data source dependent type name, for a UDT the type name is fully qualified
  5. COLUMN_SIZE int => precision
  6. BUFFER_LENGTH int => not used
  7. DECIMAL_DIGITS short => scale
  8. PSEUDO_COLUMN short => is this a pseudo column like an Oracle ROWID
    • bestRowUnknown - may or may not be pseudo column
    • bestRowNotPseudo - is NOT a pseudo column
    • bestRowPseudo - is a pseudo column
Parameters
cataloga catalog name; must match the catalog name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a catalog; null means that the catalog name should not be used to narrow the search
schemaa schema name; must match the schema name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a schema; null means that the schema name should not be used to narrow the search
tablea table name; must match the table name as it is stored in the database
scopethe scope of interest; use same values as SCOPE
nullableinclude columns that are nullable.
Return
ResultSet - each row is a column description
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the catalog names available in this database. The results are ordered by catalog name.

The catalog column is:

  1. TABLE_CAT String => catalog name
Return
a ResultSet object in which each row has a single String column that is a catalog name
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the String that this database uses as the separator between a catalog and table name.
Return
the separator string
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the database vendor's preferred term for "catalog".
Return
the vendor term for "catalog"
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves a description of the access rights for a table's columns.

Only privileges matching the column name criteria are returned. They are ordered by COLUMN_NAME and PRIVILEGE.

Each privilige description has the following columns:

  1. TABLE_CAT String => table catalog (may be null)
  2. TABLE_SCHEM String => table schema (may be null)
  3. TABLE_NAME String => table name
  4. COLUMN_NAME String => column name
  5. GRANTOR => grantor of access (may be null)
  6. GRANTEE String => grantee of access
  7. PRIVILEGE String => name of access (SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, REFRENCES, ...)
  8. IS_GRANTABLE String => "YES" if grantee is permitted to grant to others; "NO" if not; null if unknown
Parameters
cataloga catalog name; must match the catalog name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a catalog; null means that the catalog name should not be used to narrow the search
schemaa schema name; must match the schema name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a schema; null means that the schema name should not be used to narrow the search
tablea table name; must match the table name as it is stored in the database
columnNamePatterna column name pattern; must match the column name as it is stored in the database
Return
ResultSet - each row is a column privilege description
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves a description of table columns available in the specified catalog.

Only column descriptions matching the catalog, schema, table and column name criteria are returned. They are ordered by TABLE_SCHEM, TABLE_NAME, and ORDINAL_POSITION.

Each column description has the following columns:

  1. TABLE_CAT String => table catalog (may be null)
  2. TABLE_SCHEM String => table schema (may be null)
  3. TABLE_NAME String => table name
  4. COLUMN_NAME String => column name
  5. DATA_TYPE int => SQL type from java.sql.Types
  6. TYPE_NAME String => Data source dependent type name, for a UDT the type name is fully qualified
  7. COLUMN_SIZE int => column size. For char or date types this is the maximum number of characters, for numeric or decimal types this is precision.
  8. BUFFER_LENGTH is not used.
  9. DECIMAL_DIGITS int => the number of fractional digits
  10. NUM_PREC_RADIX int => Radix (typically either 10 or 2)
  11. NULLABLE int => is NULL allowed.
    • columnNoNulls - might not allow NULL values
    • columnNullable - definitely allows NULL values
    • columnNullableUnknown - nullability unknown
  12. REMARKS String => comment describing column (may be null)
  13. COLUMN_DEF String => default value (may be null)
  14. SQL_DATA_TYPE int => unused
  15. SQL_DATETIME_SUB int => unused
  16. CHAR_OCTET_LENGTH int => for char types the maximum number of bytes in the column
  17. ORDINAL_POSITION int => index of column in table (starting at 1)
  18. IS_NULLABLE String => "NO" means column definitely does not allow NULL values; "YES" means the column might allow NULL values. An empty string means nobody knows.
  19. SCOPE_CATLOG String => catalog of table that is the scope of a reference attribute (null if DATA_TYPE isn't REF)
  20. SCOPE_SCHEMA String => schema of table that is the scope of a reference attribute (null if the DATA_TYPE isn't REF)
  21. SCOPE_TABLE String => table name that this the scope of a reference attribure (null if the DATA_TYPE isn't REF)
  22. SOURCE_DATA_TYPE short => source type of a distinct type or user-generated Ref type, SQL type from java.sql.Types (null if DATA_TYPE isn't DISTINCT or user-generated REF)
Parameters
cataloga catalog name; must match the catalog name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a catalog; null means that the catalog name should not be used to narrow the search
schemaPatterna schema name pattern; must match the schema name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a schema; null means that the schema name should not be used to narrow the search
tableNamePatterna table name pattern; must match the table name as it is stored in the database
columnNamePatterna column name pattern; must match the column name as it is stored in the database
Return
ResultSet - each row is a column description
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the connection that produced this metadata object.

Return
the connection that produced this metadata object
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.2
Retrieves a description of the foreign key columns in the given foreign key table that reference the primary key columns of the given primary key table (describe how one table imports another's key). This should normally return a single foreign key/primary key pair because most tables import a foreign key from a table only once. They are ordered by FKTABLE_CAT, FKTABLE_SCHEM, FKTABLE_NAME, and KEY_SEQ.

Each foreign key column description has the following columns:

  1. PKTABLE_CAT String => primary key table catalog (may be null)
  2. PKTABLE_SCHEM String => primary key table schema (may be null)
  3. PKTABLE_NAME String => primary key table name
  4. PKCOLUMN_NAME String => primary key column name
  5. FKTABLE_CAT String => foreign key table catalog (may be null) being exported (may be null)
  6. FKTABLE_SCHEM String => foreign key table schema (may be null) being exported (may be null)
  7. FKTABLE_NAME String => foreign key table name being exported
  8. FKCOLUMN_NAME String => foreign key column name being exported
  9. KEY_SEQ short => sequence number within foreign key
  10. UPDATE_RULE short => What happens to foreign key when primary is updated:
    • importedNoAction - do not allow update of primary key if it has been imported
    • importedKeyCascade - change imported key to agree with primary key update
    • importedKeySetNull - change imported key to NULL if its primary key has been updated
    • importedKeySetDefault - change imported key to default values if its primary key has been updated
    • importedKeyRestrict - same as importedKeyNoAction (for ODBC 2.x compatibility)
  11. DELETE_RULE short => What happens to the foreign key when primary is deleted.
    • importedKeyNoAction - do not allow delete of primary key if it has been imported
    • importedKeyCascade - delete rows that import a deleted key
    • importedKeySetNull - change imported key to NULL if its primary key has been deleted
    • importedKeyRestrict - same as importedKeyNoAction (for ODBC 2.x compatibility)
    • importedKeySetDefault - change imported key to default if its primary key has been deleted
  12. FK_NAME String => foreign key name (may be null)
  13. PK_NAME String => primary key name (may be null)
  14. DEFERRABILITY short => can the evaluation of foreign key constraints be deferred until commit
    • importedKeyInitiallyDeferred - see SQL92 for definition
    • importedKeyInitiallyImmediate - see SQL92 for definition
    • importedKeyNotDeferrable - see SQL92 for definition
Parameters
primaryCataloga catalog name; must match the catalog name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a catalog; null means drop catalog name from the selection criteria
primarySchemaa schema name; must match the schema name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a schema; null means drop schema name from the selection criteria
primaryTablethe name of the table that exports the key; must match the table name as it is stored in the database
foreignCataloga catalog name; must match the catalog name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a catalog; null means drop catalog name from the selection criteria
foreignSchemaa schema name; must match the schema name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a schema; null means drop schema name from the selection criteria
foreignTablethe name of the table that imports the key; must match the table name as it is stored in the database
Return
ResultSet - each row is a foreign key column description
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the major version number of the underlying database.
Return
the underlying database's major version
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.4
Retrieves the minor version number of the underlying database.
Return
underlying database's minor version
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.4
Retrieves the name of this database product.
Return
database product name
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the version number of this database product.
Return
database version number
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves this database's default transaction isolation level. The possible values are defined in java.sql.Connection.
Return
the default isolation level
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
See Also
Retrieves this JDBC driver's major version number.
Return
JDBC driver major version
Retrieves this JDBC driver's minor version number.
Return
JDBC driver minor version number
Retrieves the name of this JDBC driver.
Return
JDBC driver name
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the version number of this JDBC driver as a String.
Return
JDBC driver version
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves a description of the foreign key columns that reference the given table's primary key columns (the foreign keys exported by a table). They are ordered by FKTABLE_CAT, FKTABLE_SCHEM, FKTABLE_NAME, and KEY_SEQ.

Each foreign key column description has the following columns:

  1. PKTABLE_CAT String => primary key table catalog (may be null)
  2. PKTABLE_SCHEM String => primary key table schema (may be null)
  3. PKTABLE_NAME String => primary key table name
  4. PKCOLUMN_NAME String => primary key column name
  5. FKTABLE_CAT String => foreign key table catalog (may be null) being exported (may be null)
  6. FKTABLE_SCHEM String => foreign key table schema (may be null) being exported (may be null)
  7. FKTABLE_NAME String => foreign key table name being exported
  8. FKCOLUMN_NAME String => foreign key column name being exported
  9. KEY_SEQ short => sequence number within foreign key
  10. UPDATE_RULE short => What happens to foreign key when primary is updated:
    • importedNoAction - do not allow update of primary key if it has been imported
    • importedKeyCascade - change imported key to agree with primary key update
    • importedKeySetNull - change imported key to NULL if its primary key has been updated
    • importedKeySetDefault - change imported key to default values if its primary key has been updated
    • importedKeyRestrict - same as importedKeyNoAction (for ODBC 2.x compatibility)
  11. DELETE_RULE short => What happens to the foreign key when primary is deleted.
    • importedKeyNoAction - do not allow delete of primary key if it has been imported
    • importedKeyCascade - delete rows that import a deleted key
    • importedKeySetNull - change imported key to NULL if its primary key has been deleted
    • importedKeyRestrict - same as importedKeyNoAction (for ODBC 2.x compatibility)
    • importedKeySetDefault - change imported key to default if its primary key has been deleted
  12. FK_NAME String => foreign key name (may be null)
  13. PK_NAME String => primary key name (may be null)
  14. DEFERRABILITY short => can the evaluation of foreign key constraints be deferred until commit
    • importedKeyInitiallyDeferred - see SQL92 for definition
    • importedKeyInitiallyImmediate - see SQL92 for definition
    • importedKeyNotDeferrable - see SQL92 for definition
Parameters
cataloga catalog name; must match the catalog name as it is stored in this database; "" retrieves those without a catalog; null means that the catalog name should not be used to narrow the search
schemaa schema name; must match the schema name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a schema; null means that the schema name should not be used to narrow the search
tablea table name; must match the table name as it is stored in this database
Return
a ResultSet object in which each row is a foreign key column description
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves all the "extra" characters that can be used in unquoted identifier names (those beyond a-z, A-Z, 0-9 and _).
Return
the string containing the extra characters
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the string used to quote SQL identifiers. This method returns a space " " if identifier quoting is not supported.
Return
the quoting string or a space if quoting is not supported
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves a description of the primary key columns that are referenced by a table's foreign key columns (the primary keys imported by a table). They are ordered by PKTABLE_CAT, PKTABLE_SCHEM, PKTABLE_NAME, and KEY_SEQ.

Each primary key column description has the following columns:

  1. PKTABLE_CAT String => primary key table catalog being imported (may be null)
  2. PKTABLE_SCHEM String => primary key table schema being imported (may be null)
  3. PKTABLE_NAME String => primary key table name being imported
  4. PKCOLUMN_NAME String => primary key column name being imported
  5. FKTABLE_CAT String => foreign key table catalog (may be null)
  6. FKTABLE_SCHEM String => foreign key table schema (may be null)
  7. FKTABLE_NAME String => foreign key table name
  8. FKCOLUMN_NAME String => foreign key column name
  9. KEY_SEQ short => sequence number within a foreign key
  10. UPDATE_RULE short => What happens to a foreign key when the primary key is updated:
    • importedNoAction - do not allow update of primary key if it has been imported
    • importedKeyCascade - change imported key to agree with primary key update
    • importedKeySetNull - change imported key to NULL if its primary key has been updated
    • importedKeySetDefault - change imported key to default values if its primary key has been updated
    • importedKeyRestrict - same as importedKeyNoAction (for ODBC 2.x compatibility)
  11. DELETE_RULE short => What happens to the foreign key when primary is deleted.
    • importedKeyNoAction - do not allow delete of primary key if it has been imported
    • importedKeyCascade - delete rows that import a deleted key
    • importedKeySetNull - change imported key to NULL if its primary key has been deleted
    • importedKeyRestrict - same as importedKeyNoAction (for ODBC 2.x compatibility)
    • importedKeySetDefault - change imported key to default if its primary key has been deleted
  12. FK_NAME String => foreign key name (may be null)
  13. PK_NAME String => primary key name (may be null)
  14. DEFERRABILITY short => can the evaluation of foreign key constraints be deferred until commit
    • importedKeyInitiallyDeferred - see SQL92 for definition
    • importedKeyInitiallyImmediate - see SQL92 for definition
    • importedKeyNotDeferrable - see SQL92 for definition
Parameters
cataloga catalog name; must match the catalog name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a catalog; null means that the catalog name should not be used to narrow the search
schemaa schema name; must match the schema name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a schema; null means that the schema name should not be used to narrow the search
tablea table name; must match the table name as it is stored in the database
Return
ResultSet - each row is a primary key column description
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves a description of the given table's indices and statistics. They are ordered by NON_UNIQUE, TYPE, INDEX_NAME, and ORDINAL_POSITION.

Each index column description has the following columns:

  1. TABLE_CAT String => table catalog (may be null)
  2. TABLE_SCHEM String => table schema (may be null)
  3. TABLE_NAME String => table name
  4. NON_UNIQUE boolean => Can index values be non-unique. false when TYPE is tableIndexStatistic
  5. INDEX_QUALIFIER String => index catalog (may be null); null when TYPE is tableIndexStatistic
  6. INDEX_NAME String => index name; null when TYPE is tableIndexStatistic
  7. TYPE short => index type:
    • tableIndexStatistic - this identifies table statistics that are returned in conjuction with a table's index descriptions
    • tableIndexClustered - this is a clustered index
    • tableIndexHashed - this is a hashed index
    • tableIndexOther - this is some other style of index
  8. ORDINAL_POSITION short => column sequence number within index; zero when TYPE is tableIndexStatistic
  9. COLUMN_NAME String => column name; null when TYPE is tableIndexStatistic
  10. ASC_OR_DESC String => column sort sequence, "A" => ascending, "D" => descending, may be null if sort sequence is not supported; null when TYPE is tableIndexStatistic
  11. CARDINALITY int => When TYPE is tableIndexStatistic, then this is the number of rows in the table; otherwise, it is the number of unique values in the index.
  12. PAGES int => When TYPE is tableIndexStatisic then this is the number of pages used for the table, otherwise it is the number of pages used for the current index.
  13. FILTER_CONDITION String => Filter condition, if any. (may be null)
Parameters
cataloga catalog name; must match the catalog name as it is stored in this database; "" retrieves those without a catalog; null means that the catalog name should not be used to narrow the search
schemaa schema name; must match the schema name as it is stored in this database; "" retrieves those without a schema; null means that the schema name should not be used to narrow the search
tablea table name; must match the table name as it is stored in this database
uniquewhen true, return only indices for unique values; when false, return indices regardless of whether unique or not
approximatewhen true, result is allowed to reflect approximate or out of data values; when false, results are requested to be accurate
Return
ResultSet - each row is an index column description
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the major JDBC version number for this driver.
Return
JDBC version major number
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.4
Retrieves the minor JDBC version number for this driver.
Return
JDBC version minor number
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.4
Retrieves the maximum number of hex characters this database allows in an inline binary literal.
Return
max the maximum length (in hex characters) for a binary literal; a result of zero means that there is no limit or the limit is not known
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the maximum number of characters that this database allows in a catalog name.
Return
the maximum number of characters allowed in a catalog name; a result of zero means that there is no limit or the limit is not known
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the maximum number of characters this database allows for a character literal.
Return
the maximum number of characters allowed for a character literal; a result of zero means that there is no limit or the limit is not known
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the maximum number of characters this database allows for a column name.
Return
the maximum number of characters allowed for a column name; a result of zero means that there is no limit or the limit is not known
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the maximum number of columns this database allows in a GROUP BY clause.
Return
the maximum number of columns allowed; a result of zero means that there is no limit or the limit is not known
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the maximum number of columns this database allows in an index.
Return
the maximum number of columns allowed; a result of zero means that there is no limit or the limit is not known
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the maximum number of columns this database allows in an ORDER BY clause.
Return
the maximum number of columns allowed; a result of zero means that there is no limit or the limit is not known
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the maximum number of columns this database allows in a SELECT list.
Return
the maximum number of columns allowed; a result of zero means that there is no limit or the limit is not known
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the maximum number of columns this database allows in a table.
Return
the maximum number of columns allowed; a result of zero means that there is no limit or the limit is not known
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the maximum number of concurrent connections to this database that are possible.
Return
the maximum number of active connections possible at one time; a result of zero means that there is no limit or the limit is not known
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the maximum number of characters that this database allows in a cursor name.
Return
the maximum number of characters allowed in a cursor name; a result of zero means that there is no limit or the limit is not known
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the maximum number of bytes this database allows for an index, including all of the parts of the index.
Return
the maximum number of bytes allowed; this limit includes the composite of all the constituent parts of the index; a result of zero means that there is no limit or the limit is not known
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the maximum number of characters that this database allows in a procedure name.
Return
the maximum number of characters allowed in a procedure name; a result of zero means that there is no limit or the limit is not known
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the maximum number of bytes this database allows in a single row.
Return
the maximum number of bytes allowed for a row; a result of zero means that there is no limit or the limit is not known
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the maximum number of characters that this database allows in a schema name.
Return
the maximum number of characters allowed in a schema name; a result of zero means that there is no limit or the limit is not known
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the maximum number of characters this database allows in an SQL statement.
Return
the maximum number of characters allowed for an SQL statement; a result of zero means that there is no limit or the limit is not known
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the maximum number of active statements to this database that can be open at the same time.
Return
the maximum number of statements that can be open at one time; a result of zero means that there is no limit or the limit is not known
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the maximum number of characters this database allows in a table name.
Return
the maximum number of characters allowed for a table name; a result of zero means that there is no limit or the limit is not known
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the maximum number of tables this database allows in a SELECT statement.
Return
the maximum number of tables allowed in a SELECT statement; a result of zero means that there is no limit or the limit is not known
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the maximum number of characters this database allows in a user name.
Return
the maximum number of characters allowed for a user name; a result of zero means that there is no limit or the limit is not known
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves a comma-separated list of math functions available with this database. These are the Open /Open CLI math function names used in the JDBC function escape clause.
Return
the list of math functions supported by this database
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves a description of the given table's primary key columns. They are ordered by COLUMN_NAME.

Each primary key column description has the following columns:

  1. TABLE_CAT String => table catalog (may be null)
  2. TABLE_SCHEM String => table schema (may be null)
  3. TABLE_NAME String => table name
  4. COLUMN_NAME String => column name
  5. KEY_SEQ short => sequence number within primary key
  6. PK_NAME String => primary key name (may be null)
Parameters
cataloga catalog name; must match the catalog name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a catalog; null means that the catalog name should not be used to narrow the search
schemaa schema name; must match the schema name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a schema; null means that the schema name should not be used to narrow the search
tablea table name; must match the table name as it is stored in the database
Return
ResultSet - each row is a primary key column description
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves a description of the given catalog's stored procedure parameter and result columns.

Only descriptions matching the schema, procedure and parameter name criteria are returned. They are ordered by PROCEDURE_SCHEM and PROCEDURE_NAME. Within this, the return value, if any, is first. Next are the parameter descriptions in call order. The column descriptions follow in column number order.

Each row in the ResultSet is a parameter description or column description with the following fields:

  1. PROCEDURE_CAT String => procedure catalog (may be null)
  2. PROCEDURE_SCHEM String => procedure schema (may be null)
  3. PROCEDURE_NAME String => procedure name
  4. COLUMN_NAME String => column/parameter name
  5. COLUMN_TYPE Short => kind of column/parameter:
    • procedureColumnUnknown - nobody knows
    • procedureColumnIn - IN parameter
    • procedureColumnInOut - INOUT parameter
    • procedureColumnOut - OUT parameter
    • procedureColumnReturn - procedure return value
    • procedureColumnResult - result column in ResultSet
  6. DATA_TYPE int => SQL type from java.sql.Types
  7. TYPE_NAME String => SQL type name, for a UDT type the type name is fully qualified
  8. PRECISION int => precision
  9. LENGTH int => length in bytes of data
  10. SCALE short => scale
  11. RADIX short => radix
  12. NULLABLE short => can it contain NULL.
    • procedureNoNulls - does not allow NULL values
    • procedureNullable - allows NULL values
    • procedureNullableUnknown - nullability unknown
  13. REMARKS String => comment describing parameter/column

Note: Some databases may not return the column descriptions for a procedure. Additional columns beyond REMARKS can be defined by the database.

Parameters
cataloga catalog name; must match the catalog name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a catalog; null means that the catalog name should not be used to narrow the search
schemaPatterna schema name pattern; must match the schema name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a schema; null means that the schema name should not be used to narrow the search
procedureNamePatterna procedure name pattern; must match the procedure name as it is stored in the database
columnNamePatterna column name pattern; must match the column name as it is stored in the database
Return
ResultSet - each row describes a stored procedure parameter or column
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves a description of the stored procedures available in the given catalog.

Only procedure descriptions matching the schema and procedure name criteria are returned. They are ordered by PROCEDURE_SCHEM and PROCEDURE_NAME.

Each procedure description has the the following columns:

  1. PROCEDURE_CAT String => procedure catalog (may be null)
  2. PROCEDURE_SCHEM String => procedure schema (may be null)
  3. PROCEDURE_NAME String => procedure name
  4. reserved for future use
  5. reserved for future use
  6. reserved for future use
  7. REMARKS String => explanatory comment on the procedure
  8. PROCEDURE_TYPE short => kind of procedure:
    • procedureResultUnknown - May return a result
    • procedureNoResult - Does not return a result
    • procedureReturnsResult - Returns a result
Parameters
cataloga catalog name; must match the catalog name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a catalog; null means that the catalog name should not be used to narrow the search
schemaPatterna schema name pattern; must match the schema name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a schema; null means that the schema name should not be used to narrow the search
procedureNamePatterna procedure name pattern; must match the procedure name as it is stored in the database
Return
ResultSet - each row is a procedure description
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the database vendor's preferred term for "procedure".
Return
the vendor term for "procedure"
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the default holdability of this ResultSet object.
Return
the default holdability; either ResultSet.HOLD_CURSORS_OVER_COMMIT or ResultSet.CLOSE_CURSORS_AT_COMMIT
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.4
Retrieves the schema names available in this database. The results are ordered by schema name.

The schema column is:

  1. TABLE_SCHEM String => schema name
  2. TABLE_CATALOG String => catalog name (may be null)
Return
a ResultSet object in which each row is a schema decription
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the database vendor's preferred term for "schema".
Return
the vendor term for "schema"
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the string that can be used to escape wildcard characters. This is the string that can be used to escape '_' or '%' in the catalog search parameters that are a pattern (and therefore use one of the wildcard characters).

The '_' character represents any single character; the '%' character represents any sequence of zero or more characters.

Return
the string used to escape wildcard characters
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves a comma-separated list of all of this database's SQL keywords that are NOT also SQL92 keywords.
Return
the list of this database's keywords that are not also SQL92 keywords
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Indicates whether the SQLSTATE returned by SQLException.getSQLState is X/Open (now known as Open Group) SQL CLI or SQL99.
Return
the type of SQLSTATE; one of: sqlStateXOpen or sqlStateSQL99
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.4
Retrieves a comma-separated list of string functions available with this database. These are the Open Group CLI string function names used in the JDBC function escape clause.
Return
the list of string functions supported by this database
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves a description of the table hierarchies defined in a particular schema in this database.

Only supertable information for tables matching the catalog, schema and table name are returned. The table name parameter may be a fully- qualified name, in which case, the catalog and schemaPattern parameters are ignored. If a table does not have a super table, it is not listed here. Supertables have to be defined in the same catalog and schema as the sub tables. Therefore, the type description does not need to include this information for the supertable.

Each type description has the following columns:

  1. TABLE_CAT String => the type's catalog (may be null)
  2. TABLE_SCHEM String => type's schema (may be null)
  3. TABLE_NAME String => type name
  4. SUPERTABLE_NAME String => the direct super type's name

Note: If the driver does not support type hierarchies, an empty result set is returned.

Parameters
cataloga catalog name; "" retrieves those without a catalog; null means drop catalog name from the selection criteria
schemaPatterna schema name pattern; "" retrieves those without a schema
tableNamePatterna table name pattern; may be a fully-qualified name
Return
a ResultSet object in which each row is a type description
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.4
Retrieves a description of the user-defined type (UDT) hierarchies defined in a particular schema in this database. Only the immediate super type/ sub type relationship is modeled.

Only supertype information for UDTs matching the catalog, schema, and type name is returned. The type name parameter may be a fully-qualified name. When the UDT name supplied is a fully-qualified name, the catalog and schemaPattern parameters are ignored.

If a UDT does not have a direct super type, it is not listed here. A row of the ResultSet object returned by this method describes the designated UDT and a direct supertype. A row has the following columns:

  1. TYPE_CAT String => the UDT's catalog (may be null)
  2. TYPE_SCHEM String => UDT's schema (may be null)
  3. TYPE_NAME String => type name of the UDT
  4. SUPERTYPE_CAT String => the direct super type's catalog (may be null)
  5. SUPERTYPE_SCHEM String => the direct super type's schema (may be null)
  6. SUPERTYPE_NAME String => the direct super type's name

Note: If the driver does not support type hierarchies, an empty result set is returned.

Parameters
cataloga catalog name; "" retrieves those without a catalog; null means drop catalog name from the selection criteria
schemaPatterna schema name pattern; "" retrieves those without a schema
typeNamePatterna UDT name pattern; may be a fully-qualified name
Return
a ResultSet object in which a row gives information about the designated UDT
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.4
Retrieves a comma-separated list of system functions available with this database. These are the Open Group CLI system function names used in the JDBC function escape clause.
Return
a list of system functions supported by this database
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves a description of the access rights for each table available in a catalog. Note that a table privilege applies to one or more columns in the table. It would be wrong to assume that this privilege applies to all columns (this may be true for some systems but is not true for all.)

Only privileges matching the schema and table name criteria are returned. They are ordered by TABLE_SCHEM, TABLE_NAME, and PRIVILEGE.

Each privilige description has the following columns:

  1. TABLE_CAT String => table catalog (may be null)
  2. TABLE_SCHEM String => table schema (may be null)
  3. TABLE_NAME String => table name
  4. GRANTOR => grantor of access (may be null)
  5. GRANTEE String => grantee of access
  6. PRIVILEGE String => name of access (SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, REFRENCES, ...)
  7. IS_GRANTABLE String => "YES" if grantee is permitted to grant to others; "NO" if not; null if unknown
Parameters
cataloga catalog name; must match the catalog name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a catalog; null means that the catalog name should not be used to narrow the search
schemaPatterna schema name pattern; must match the schema name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a schema; null means that the schema name should not be used to narrow the search
tableNamePatterna table name pattern; must match the table name as it is stored in the database
Return
ResultSet - each row is a table privilege description
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves a description of the tables available in the given catalog. Only table descriptions matching the catalog, schema, table name and type criteria are returned. They are ordered by TABLE_TYPE, TABLE_SCHEM and TABLE_NAME.

Each table description has the following columns:

  1. TABLE_CAT String => table catalog (may be null)
  2. TABLE_SCHEM String => table schema (may be null)
  3. TABLE_NAME String => table name
  4. TABLE_TYPE String => table type. Typical types are "TABLE", "VIEW", "SYSTEM TABLE", "GLOBAL TEMPORARY", "LOCAL TEMPORARY", "ALIAS", "SYNONYM".
  5. REMARKS String => explanatory comment on the table
  6. TYPE_CAT String => the types catalog (may be null)
  7. TYPE_SCHEM String => the types schema (may be null)
  8. TYPE_NAME String => type name (may be null)
  9. SELF_REFERENCING_COL_NAME String => name of the designated "identifier" column of a typed table (may be null)
  10. REF_GENERATION String => specifies how values in SELF_REFERENCING_COL_NAME are created. Values are "SYSTEM", "USER", "DERIVED". (may be null)

Note: Some databases may not return information for all tables.

Parameters
cataloga catalog name; must match the catalog name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a catalog; null means that the catalog name should not be used to narrow the search
schemaPatterna schema name pattern; must match the schema name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a schema; null means that the schema name should not be used to narrow the search
tableNamePatterna table name pattern; must match the table name as it is stored in the database
typesa list of table types to include; null returns all types
Return
ResultSet - each row is a table description
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the table types available in this database. The results are ordered by table type.

The table type is:

  1. TABLE_TYPE String => table type. Typical types are "TABLE", "VIEW", "SYSTEM TABLE", "GLOBAL TEMPORARY", "LOCAL TEMPORARY", "ALIAS", "SYNONYM".
Return
a ResultSet object in which each row has a single String column that is a table type
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves a comma-separated list of the time and date functions available with this database.
Return
the list of time and date functions supported by this database
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves a description of all the standard SQL types supported by this database. They are ordered by DATA_TYPE and then by how closely the data type maps to the corresponding JDBC SQL type.

Each type description has the following columns:

  1. TYPE_NAME String => Type name
  2. DATA_TYPE int => SQL data type from java.sql.Types
  3. PRECISION int => maximum precision
  4. LITERAL_PREFIX String => prefix used to quote a literal (may be null)
  5. LITERAL_SUFFIX String => suffix used to quote a literal (may be null)
  6. CREATE_PARAMS String => parameters used in creating the type (may be null)
  7. NULLABLE short => can you use NULL for this type.
    • typeNoNulls - does not allow NULL values
    • typeNullable - allows NULL values
    • typeNullableUnknown - nullability unknown
  8. CASE_SENSITIVE boolean=> is it case sensitive.
  9. SEARCHABLE short => can you use "WHERE" based on this type:
    • typePredNone - No support
    • typePredChar - Only supported with WHERE .. LIKE
    • typePredBasic - Supported except for WHERE .. LIKE
    • typeSearchable - Supported for all WHERE ..
  10. UNSIGNED_ATTRIBUTE boolean => is it unsigned.
  11. FIXED_PREC_SCALE boolean => can it be a money value.
  12. AUTO_INCREMENT boolean => can it be used for an auto-increment value.
  13. LOCAL_TYPE_NAME String => localized version of type name (may be null)
  14. MINIMUM_SCALE short => minimum scale supported
  15. MAXIMUM_SCALE short => maximum scale supported
  16. SQL_DATA_TYPE int => unused
  17. SQL_DATETIME_SUB int => unused
  18. NUM_PREC_RADIX int => usually 2 or 10
Return
a ResultSet object in which each row is an SQL type description
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves a description of the user-defined types (UDTs) defined in a particular schema. Schema-specific UDTs may have type JAVA_OBJECT, STRUCT, or DISTINCT.

Only types matching the catalog, schema, type name and type criteria are returned. They are ordered by DATA_TYPE, TYPE_SCHEM and TYPE_NAME. The type name parameter may be a fully-qualified name. In this case, the catalog and schemaPattern parameters are ignored.

Each type description has the following columns:

  1. TYPE_CAT String => the type's catalog (may be null)
  2. TYPE_SCHEM String => type's schema (may be null)
  3. TYPE_NAME String => type name
  4. CLASS_NAME String => Java class name
  5. DATA_TYPE int => type value defined in java.sql.Types. One of JAVA_OBJECT, STRUCT, or DISTINCT
  6. REMARKS String => explanatory comment on the type
  7. BASE_TYPE short => type code of the source type of a DISTINCT type or the type that implements the user-generated reference type of the SELF_REFERENCING_COLUMN of a structured type as defined in java.sql.Types (null if DATA_TYPE is not DISTINCT or not STRUCT with REFERENCE_GENERATION = USER_DEFINED)

Note: If the driver does not support UDTs, an empty result set is returned.

Parameters
cataloga catalog name; must match the catalog name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a catalog; null means that the catalog name should not be used to narrow the search
schemaPatterna schema pattern name; must match the schema name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a schema; null means that the schema name should not be used to narrow the search
typeNamePatterna type name pattern; must match the type name as it is stored in the database; may be a fully qualified name
typesa list of user-defined types (JAVA_OBJECT, STRUCT, or DISTINCT) to include; null returns all types
Return
ResultSet object in which each row describes a UDT
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.2
Retrieves the URL for this DBMS.
Return
the URL for this DBMS or null if it cannot be generated
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves the user name as known to this database.
Return
the database user name
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves a description of a table's columns that are automatically updated when any value in a row is updated. They are unordered.

Each column description has the following columns:

  1. SCOPE short => is not used
  2. COLUMN_NAME String => column name
  3. DATA_TYPE int => SQL data type from java.sql.Types
  4. TYPE_NAME String => Data source-dependent type name
  5. COLUMN_SIZE int => precision
  6. BUFFER_LENGTH int => length of column value in bytes
  7. DECIMAL_DIGITS short => scale
  8. PSEUDO_COLUMN short => whether this is pseudo column like an Oracle ROWID
    • versionColumnUnknown - may or may not be pseudo column
    • versionColumnNotPseudo - is NOT a pseudo column
    • versionColumnPseudo - is a pseudo column
Parameters
cataloga catalog name; must match the catalog name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a catalog; null means that the catalog name should not be used to narrow the search
schemaa schema name; must match the schema name as it is stored in the database; "" retrieves those without a schema; null means that the schema name should not be used to narrow the search
tablea table name; must match the table name as it is stored in the database
Return
a ResultSet object in which each row is a column description
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether or not a visible row insert can be detected by calling the method ResultSet.rowInserted.
Parameters
typethe ResultSet type; one of ResultSet.TYPE_FORWARD_ONLY, ResultSet.TYPE_SCROLL_INSENSITIVE, or ResultSet.TYPE_SCROLL_SENSITIVE
Return
true if changes are detected by the specified result set type; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.2
Retrieves whether a catalog appears at the start of a fully qualified table name. If not, the catalog appears at the end.
Return
true if the catalog name appears at the beginning of a fully qualified table name; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database is in read-only mode.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Indicates whether updates made to a LOB are made on a copy or directly to the LOB.
Return
true if updates are made to a copy of the LOB; false if updates are made directly to the LOB
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.4
Retrieves whether this database supports concatenations between NULL and non-NULL values being NULL.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether NULL values are sorted at the end regardless of sort order.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether NULL values are sorted at the start regardless of sort order.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether NULL values are sorted high. Sorted high means that NULL values sort higher than any other value in a domain. In an ascending order, if this method returns true, NULL values will appear at the end. By contrast, the method nullsAreSortedAtEnd indicates whether NULL values are sorted at the end regardless of sort order.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether NULL values are sorted low. Sorted low means that NULL values sort lower than any other value in a domain. In an ascending order, if this method returns true, NULL values will appear at the beginning. By contrast, the method nullsAreSortedAtStart indicates whether NULL values are sorted at the beginning regardless of sort order.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether deletes made by others are visible.
Parameters
typethe ResultSet type; one of ResultSet.TYPE_FORWARD_ONLY, ResultSet.TYPE_SCROLL_INSENSITIVE, or ResultSet.TYPE_SCROLL_SENSITIVE
Return
true if deletes made by others are visible for the given result set type; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.2
Retrieves whether inserts made by others are visible.
Parameters
typethe ResultSet type; one of ResultSet.TYPE_FORWARD_ONLY, ResultSet.TYPE_SCROLL_INSENSITIVE, or ResultSet.TYPE_SCROLL_SENSITIVE
Return
true if inserts made by others are visible for the given result set type; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.2
Retrieves whether updates made by others are visible.
Parameters
typethe ResultSet type; one of ResultSet.TYPE_FORWARD_ONLY, ResultSet.TYPE_SCROLL_INSENSITIVE, or ResultSet.TYPE_SCROLL_SENSITIVE
Return
true if updates made by others are visible for the given result set type; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.2
Retrieves whether a result set's own deletes are visible.
Parameters
typethe ResultSet type; one of ResultSet.TYPE_FORWARD_ONLY, ResultSet.TYPE_SCROLL_INSENSITIVE, or ResultSet.TYPE_SCROLL_SENSITIVE
Return
true if deletes are visible for the given result set type; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.2
Retrieves whether a result set's own inserts are visible.
Parameters
typethe ResultSet type; one of ResultSet.TYPE_FORWARD_ONLY, ResultSet.TYPE_SCROLL_INSENSITIVE, or ResultSet.TYPE_SCROLL_SENSITIVE
Return
true if inserts are visible for the given result set type; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.2
Retrieves whether for the given type of ResultSet object, the result set's own updates are visible.
Parameters
typethe ResultSet type; one of ResultSet.TYPE_FORWARD_ONLY, ResultSet.TYPE_SCROLL_INSENSITIVE, or ResultSet.TYPE_SCROLL_SENSITIVE
Return
true if updates are visible for the given result set type; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.2
Retrieves whether this database treats mixed case unquoted SQL identifiers as case insensitive and stores them in lower case.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database treats mixed case quoted SQL identifiers as case insensitive and stores them in lower case.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database treats mixed case unquoted SQL identifiers as case insensitive and stores them in mixed case.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database treats mixed case quoted SQL identifiers as case insensitive and stores them in mixed case.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database treats mixed case unquoted SQL identifiers as case insensitive and stores them in upper case.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database treats mixed case quoted SQL identifiers as case insensitive and stores them in upper case.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports ALTER TABLE with add column.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports ALTER TABLE with drop column.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports the ANSI92 entry level SQL grammar.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports the ANSI92 full SQL grammar supported.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports the ANSI92 intermediate SQL grammar supported.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports batch updates.
Return
true if this database supports batch upcates; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.2
Retrieves whether a catalog name can be used in a data manipulation statement.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether a catalog name can be used in an index definition statement.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether a catalog name can be used in a privilege definition statement.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether a catalog name can be used in a procedure call statement.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether a catalog name can be used in a table definition statement.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports column aliasing.

If so, the SQL AS clause can be used to provide names for computed columns or to provide alias names for columns as required.

Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports the CONVERT function between SQL types.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports the CONVERT for two given SQL types.
Parameters
fromTypethe type to convert from; one of the type codes from the class java.sql.Types
toTypethe type to convert to; one of the type codes from the class java.sql.Types
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
See Also
Retrieves whether this database supports the ODBC Core SQL grammar.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports correlated subqueries.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports both data definition and data manipulation statements within a transaction.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports only data manipulation statements within a transaction.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether, when table correlation names are supported, they are restricted to being different from the names of the tables.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports expressions in ORDER BY lists.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports the ODBC Extended SQL grammar.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports full nested outer joins.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether auto-generated keys can be retrieved after a statement has been executed.
Return
true if auto-generated keys can be retrieved after a statement has executed; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.4
Retrieves whether this database supports some form of GROUP BY clause.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports using columns not included in the SELECT statement in a GROUP BY clause provided that all of the columns in the SELECT statement are included in the GROUP BY clause.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports using a column that is not in the SELECT statement in a GROUP BY clause.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports the SQL Integrity Enhancement Facility.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports specifying a LIKE escape clause.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database provides limited support for outer joins. (This will be true if the method supportsFullOuterJoins returns true).
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports the ODBC Minimum SQL grammar.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database treats mixed case unquoted SQL identifiers as case sensitive and as a result stores them in mixed case.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database treats mixed case quoted SQL identifiers as case sensitive and as a result stores them in mixed case.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether it is possible to have multiple ResultSet objects returned from a CallableStatement object simultaneously.
Return
true if a CallableStatement object can return multiple ResultSet objects simultaneously; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a datanase access error occurs
@since
1.4
Retrieves whether this database supports getting multiple ResultSet objects from a single call to the method execute.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database allows having multiple transactions open at once (on different connections).
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports named parameters to callable statements.
Return
true if named parameters are supported; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.4
Retrieves whether columns in this database may be defined as non-nullable.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports keeping cursors open across commits.
Return
true if cursors always remain open; false if they might not remain open
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports keeping cursors open across rollbacks.
Return
true if cursors always remain open; false if they might not remain open
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports keeping statements open across commits.
Return
true if statements always remain open; false if they might not remain open
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports keeping statements open across rollbacks.
Return
true if statements always remain open; false if they might not remain open
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports using a column that is not in the SELECT statement in an ORDER BY clause.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports some form of outer join.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports positioned DELETE statements.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports positioned UPDATE statements.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports the given concurrency type in combination with the given result set type.
Parameters
typedefined in java.sql.ResultSet
concurrencytype defined in java.sql.ResultSet
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.2
See Also
Retrieves whether this database supports the given result set holdability.
Parameters
holdabilityone of the following constants: ResultSet.HOLD_CURSORS_OVER_COMMIT or ResultSet.CLOSE_CURSORS_AT_COMMIT
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.4
See Also
Retrieves whether this database supports the given result set type.
Parameters
typedefined in java.sql.ResultSet
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.2
See Also
Retrieves whether this database supports savepoints.
Return
true if savepoints are supported; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.4
Retrieves whether a schema name can be used in a data manipulation statement.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether a schema name can be used in an index definition statement.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether a schema name can be used in a privilege definition statement.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether a schema name can be used in a procedure call statement.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether a schema name can be used in a table definition statement.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports SELECT FOR UPDATE statements.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports statement pooling.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExcpetionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.4
Retrieves whether this database supports stored procedure calls that use the stored procedure escape syntax.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports subqueries in comparison expressions.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports subqueries in EXISTS expressions.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports subqueries in IN statements.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports subqueries in quantified expressions.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports table correlation names.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports the given transaction isolation level.
Parameters
levelone of the transaction isolation levels defined in java.sql.Connection
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
See Also
Retrieves whether this database supports transactions. If not, invoking the method commit is a noop, and the isolation level is TRANSACTION_NONE.
Return
true if transactions are supported; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports SQL UNION.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database supports SQL UNION ALL.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether or not a visible row update can be detected by calling the method ResultSet.rowUpdated.
Parameters
typethe ResultSet type; one of ResultSet.TYPE_FORWARD_ONLY, ResultSet.TYPE_SCROLL_INSENSITIVE, or ResultSet.TYPE_SCROLL_SENSITIVE
Return
true if changes are detected by the result set type; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
@since
1.2
Retrieves whether this database uses a file for each table.
Return
true if this database uses a local file for each table; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs
Retrieves whether this database stores tables in a local file.
Return
true if so; false otherwise
Throws
SQLExceptionif a database access error occurs