CLASSPATH

Setting the Classpath

The JDBC driver is not part of the Java SDK, so you must set the classpath to include the sqljdbc.jar file if you want to use it. If the classpath is missing an entry for sqljdbc.jar, your application will throw the common "Class not found" exception.
The sqljdbc.jar file is installed in the following location:
\sqljdbc_1.0\\sqljdbc.jar

The following is an example of the CLASSPATH statement used for a Windows application:

CLASSPATH =.;C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server 2005 JDBC Driver\sqljdbc_1.0\enu\sqljdbc.jar

The following is an example of the CLASSPATH statement used for a Unix/Linux application:
CLASSPATH =.;/home/usr1/mssqlserver2005jdbc/Driver/sqljdbc_1.0/enu/sqljdbc.jar
Note: On Window systems, directory names longer than 8.3 or folder names with spaces can cause problems with classpaths. If you suspect these types of issues, you should temporarily move the sqljdbc.jar file into a simple directory name such as C:\Temp, change the classpath, and determine whether that addresses the problem.
Applications that are run directly at the command prompt
The classpath is configured in the operating system. Append sqljdbc.jar to the system's classpath. Alternatively, you can specify the classpath on the Java command line that runs the application by using the java -classpath option.
The application runs within the IDE
Each IDE vendor has a different method to set the classpath within their IDE. Just setting the classpath in the operating system will not work. You must add sqljdbc.jar to the IDE classpath.
Servlet or JSP
Servlets and JSPs are run within a servlet/JSP engine such as Tomcat. The classpath must be set according to the servlet/JSP engine documentation. Just setting the classpath in the operating system will not work. Some servlet/JSP engines provide setup screens that you can use to set the classpath of the engine. In that situation, you must append the correct JDBC Driver JAR file to the existing engine classpath and restart the engine. In other situations, you can deploy the driver by copying sqljdbc.jar to a specific directory, such as lib, during engine installation. The engine driver classpath can also be specified in an engine specific configuration file.
Enterprise Java Beans
Enterprise Java Beans (EJB) are run within an EJB container. EJB containers are sourced from various vendors. Java applets run within a browser but they are downloaded from a Web server. Copy sqljdbc.jar to the Web server root and specify the name of the JAR file in the applet's HTML archive tab.
Making a Simple Connection to a Database
To connect to a database by using the DriverManager class, you must first register the driver as in the following:
Class.forName("com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerDriver");
When the driver is loaded, you can establish a connection by using a connection URL:

Connection con = DriverManager.getConnection("jdbc:sqlserver://localhost;user=MyUserName;password=*****");