Sun bridging Java-to-database gulf

Sun Microsystems (SUNW) is building software to bridge the gulf between Java applications and corporate databases.

Sun today announced Java Blend, software that maps Java client applications to relational database servers. The tool allows developers to write Java applications that access corporate data, entirely in Java. That's something developers have not been able to do in the past.

Programmers building Java applications that cull data from a database server need to write database access code in SQL (Structured Query Language), or some other nonobject oriented language that databases understand.

Using Java Blend, developers can code completely in Java. The tool handles the conversion from Java to database-specific code, using an existing API (application programming interface) called JDBC (Java database connectivity), according to Sun.

The tool, codeveloped with business application software vendor The Baan Company, won't be available until early next year, however.

Sun is offering an early access program for interested developers.

No pricing has been set for Java Blend.

Other software makers, including Intersolv and Symantec already offer Java-to-database bridging tools that use JDBC.