1. /*

  2.  * @(#)Ref.java	1.13 00/02/02

  3.  *

  4.  * Copyright 1998-2000 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

  5.  * 

  6.  * This software is the proprietary information of Sun Microsystems, Inc.  

  7.  * Use is subject to license terms.

  8.  * 

  9.  */

  10. 

  11. package java.sql;

  12.  

  13. /**

  14.  * The mapping in the Java programming language of an SQL <code>REF</code>

  15.  * value, which is a reference to an

  16.  * SQL structured type value in the database.

  17.  * <P>

  18.  * SQL <code>REF</code> values are stored in a special table that contains

  19.  * instances of a referenceable SQL structured type, and each <code>REF</code>

  20.  * value is a unique identifier for one instance in that table. 

  21.  * An SQL <code>REF</code> value may be used in place of the

  22.  * SQL structured type it references; it may be used as either a column value in a

  23.  * table or an attribute value in a structured type.

  24.  * <P>

  25.  * Because an SQL <code>REF</code> value is a logical pointer to an

  26.  * SQL structured type, a <code>Ref</code> object is by default also a logical

  27.  * pointer; thus, retrieving an SQL <code>REF</code> value as

  28.  * a <code>Ref</code> object does not materialize

  29.  * the attributes of the structured type on the client.

  30.  * <P>

  31.  * A <code>Ref</code> object can be saved to persistent storage and is dereferenced by

  32.  * passing it as a parameter to an SQL statement and executing the 

  33.  * statement.

  34.  * <P>

  35.  * The <code>Ref</code> interface is new in the JDBC 2.0 API.

  36.  * @see Struct

  37.  * 

  38.  */

  39. public interface Ref {

  40. 

  41.   /**

  42.    * Retrieves the fully-qualified SQL name of the SQL structured type that

  43.    * this <code>Ref</code> object references.

  44.    * 

  45.    * @return the fully-qualified SQL name of the referenced SQL structured type 

  46.    * @exception SQLException if a database access error occurs

  47.    * @since 1.2

  48.    * @see <a href="package-summary.html#2.0 API">What Is in the JDBC

  49.    *      2.0 API</a>

  50.    */

  51.   String getBaseTypeName() throws SQLException;

  52. 

  53. }