A Generic Database Web Service

Web applications built using Java technologies usually access relational databases via JDBC API. This requires a database system specific JDBC driver to be installed on the application side. On the other hand, a paradigm shift is taking place in web application architectures. Future web applications will be built around Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA) where applications will be assembled using remote “web services” components. These newly assembled applications will provide functionalities using remote web services components over Internet via XML messages. Same paradigm shift will eventually apply to the data communication between applications and databases. Future applications will utilize standard “database web services” for data storage and querying requirements. Here we propose a new architectural model and present a prototype “database web service” for relational database systems. In our model, web applications do not need to deal with database drivers but leave the driver-oriented communication to a database web service. Our database web service eliminates the need for installation, maintenance, and other issues involved in maintaining JDBC drivers in distributed web application development.