[Deployment] How NOT to hard code the Database SID, Username, and Password

Question

Hi, I'm new in J2EE so be easy on me. :)
How can I parameterize the database SID, username, and password in my J2EE application? So that anyone can change the SID, username, and password without the need to modify my code? I use Oracle 10g, ADF BC, JSF and JDeveloper 10.1.3.1.
My friend said that I can use XML for this. But he didn't go to detail for doing this. Is it true? Is there any [or better alternative]?
Any help or pointer to a simple tutorial would be fine.
Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Hi -- this is quite easy to do with J2EE.
In your application code, you declare "logical" references to resources (such as datasources, security roles, etc.) and use those in your application code so all it depends on is the logical name
On the server where the application is deployed, "physical" resources are created that point to the actual resource -- in the case of a database, this would be the JDBC URL, username, password.
At deployment time of the application, you then use the facilities of deployment tool to "map" the logical references in the application, to the physical references that exist on the server. So you connect the dots between your application needing something and the server providing the something. That way all the "details" are abstracted out of the your application code.
I don't know how this works in ADF, BC4J, etc. but I presume that since they are based on standard/J2EE, it must be available somehow.
I wrote something about this a while back using direct JDBC as an example:
http://buttso.blogspot.com/2006/06/datasource-lookup-using-javacompenv.html
-steve-