Connecting to a java db with an application in netbeans 6.7

Question

I'm working through the example found here [http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/jdbc/basics/] and have successfully created and connected to a database in the services tab. The driver is org.apache.derby.jdbc.ClientDriver and the url is jdbc:derby://localhost:1527/COFFEEBREAK. I have two tables setup just like the example and I can view the data in the services tab. I'm having problems connecting to it with an application. I have included the derby.jar file in my library. I'm trying to use the following code to connect but get a "java.sql.SQLException: Database 'COFFEEBREAK' not found" error. Any help would be appreciated, I've been staring at the for 2 days.
        try         {             Class.forName("org.apache.derby.jdbc.EmbeddedDriver");         } catch (ClassNotFoundException ex)         {             System.out.println("Driver not loaded");             Logger.getLogger(MainWindow.class.getName()).log(Level.SEVERE, null, ex);         }         try         {             Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection("jdbc:derby:COFFEEBREAK");         } catch (SQLException ex)         {             Logger.getLogger(MainWindow.class.getName()).log(Level.SEVERE, null, ex);         }

Answer 1

Your embedded Derby is not looking for the database in the same place as your Derby server.
If the server is running as a separate process (which it probably is if you started it using the Netbeans menus) and has booted the database, you won't be able to connect using the embedded driver anyway. You will get an error message which is different from the one you got (I will get back to that).
I assume you have already created the database, since you say you have connected to it via Netbeans' services tab using the client driver. In that case, your problem is that you are not able to find the database, i.e. the embedded Derby driver is looking in a different place than where it is.
The embedded Derby driver does not necessarily know the working directory, or the "derby.system.home" of the server which booted the database when you created it. So you either need to tell it where it is, or use the client driver in your application instead.
Look at your Java DB / Derby server properties in your NetBeans installation. The value for "Database location" is what is your "derby.system.home". So, you can set that in your application as well, by setting it as a system property before booting the embedded driver.
Alternatively, you can specify full path to your database in the connection URL. A third alternative is to move the database to the working directory of your application, but then you need to adjust client URLs if you also want to connect using the client driver....
Going with the first alternative, it will be something like this:
        System.setProperty("derby.system.home", pathFromDatabaseLocationSetting);
        try
            Class.forName("org.apache.derby.jdbc.EmbeddedDriver");
        } catch (ClassNotFoundException ex)
            System.out.println("Driver not loaded");
            Logger.getLogger(MainWindow.class.getName()).log(Level.SEVERE, null, ex);
        try
            Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection("jdbc:derby:COFFEEBREAK");
        } catch (SQLException ex)
            Logger.getLogger(MainWindow.class.getName()).log(Level.SEVERE, null, ex);
        }If you get an error saying the database is already booted, you need to either shut down the server (or shut down the database that is booted in the server) first, or use the client driver instead. If you use the client driver, you don't need to set derby.system.home, but you need to have the server running.