FIGURE H


You can use the Cloudview UI to create and manage Cloudscape databases. Roll over picture for a larger image.

The first lesson provides a brief introduction to JDBC. The next two lessons do an excellent job of reviewing the views and wizards available in the Data perspective. The remaining five lessons show you how to use JDBC to access a relational database using Java code.

I found the JDBC examples of executing SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE statements very comprehensive. The only point I thought should have been mentioned is that Prepared Statements are the easiest way to build SQL statements that include single or double quotes.

Finally, devoting a lesson on setting up and using connection pools in WebSphere was an excellent idea, as this is the optimal way for Web applications to access relational databases and I was able to complete all of the activities without difficulty. This is the only module where activities are dependent on each other, so be sure you take the time to complete the first and fourth activities correctly, or you may experience problems trying to complete the subsequent activities.

Module 6: Recovering Deleted and Modified Resources
There are no J2EE topics covered in this module. Instead, this module is more of a how-to discussion of several features available in WebSphere Studio. Two lessons are devoted to productivity tools for developers, Recovering Deleted and Modified Resources and Refactoring Java Code. The next two lessons show you how to create and manage test servers and how to deploy applications to a WebSphere Application Server. I found it particularly interesting in that you can have multiple test servers running at the same time on your computer.

The last lesson covers application profiling. While I understand that application profiling is analogous to statistic and event monitoring in Domino, I never really understood what was being shown in this lesson. I think that including an activity with this lesson would have helped me to understand the topics better. Since application profiling requires accessing an application on a WebSphere Application Server, perhaps this activity could have accessed a remote TLCC server? I found the four activities in this module to be very easy.

Module 7: Domino WebSphere Integration
The module overview states that you should be able to complete the material here in four hours, which seems a bit short to me. This module includes nine lessons and five activities, in all.

The first lesson effectively sets the stage for the remaining lessons, discussing briefly the different ways Domino objects can be accessed from servlets and JSPs. The next two lessons show how to access Domino objects locally and remotely from servlets. The remaining six lessons cover how to use the Domino Custom Tags Library.

Lessons five through nine, like in Figure I, show how the Lotus Domino Toolkit for WebSphere Studio makes it easier to insert Domino tags into a JSP.

FIGURE I


You can easily add Domino tags to a JSP by using the Domino Toolkit. Roll over picture for a larger image.