Modifying the Java CLASSPATH

The CLASSPATH environment variable contains the list of directories where the Java run time looks for library class files. For your Java client code to access Vertica, you need to add the directory where the Vertica JDBC .jar file is located.

In your CLASSPATH, use the symbolic link vertica-jdbc-x.x.x.jar (where x.x.x is a version number) that points to the JDBC library .jar file, rather than the .jar file itself. Using the symbolic link ensures that any updates to the JDBC library .jar file (which will use a different filename) will not invalidate your CLASSPATH setting, since the symbolic link's filename will remain the same. You just need to update the symbolic link to point at the new .jar file.

Linux and OS X

If you are using the Bash shell, use the export command to define the CLASSPATH variable: 

# export CLASSPATH=/opt/vertica/java/lib/vertica-jdbc-x.x.x.jar

If environment variable CLASSPATH is already defined, use the following command to prevent it from being overwritten:

# export CLASSPATH=$CLASSPATH:/opt/vertica/java/lib/vertica-jdbc-x.x.x.jar

If you are using a shell other than Bash, consult its documentation to learn how to set environment variables.

You need to either set the CLASSPATH environment variable for every login session, or insert the command to set the variable into one of your startup scripts (such as ~/.profile or /etc/profile).

Windows

Provide the class paths to the .jar, .zip, or .class files.

C:> SET CLASSPATH=classpath1;classpath2...

For example:

C:> SET CLASSPATH=C:\java\MyClasses\vertica-jdbc-x.x.x.jar

As with the Linux/UNIX settings, this setting only lasts for the current session. To set the CLASSPATH permanently, set an environment variable:

  1. On the Windows Control Panel, click System.
  2. Click Advanced or Advanced Systems Settings.
  3. Click Environment Variables.
  4. Under User variables, click New.
  5. In the Variable name box, type CLASSPATH.
  6. In the Variable value box, type the path to the Vertica JDBC .jar file on your system (for example, C:\Program Files (x86)\Vertica\JDBC\vertica-jdbc-x.x.x.jar)

Specifying the Library Directory in the Java Command

There is an alternative way to tell the Java run time where to find the Vertica JDBC driver other than changing the CLASSPATH environment variable: explicitly add the directory containing the .jar file to the java command line using either the -cp or -classpath argument. For example, on Linux, start your client application using:

# java -classpath /opt/vertica/java/lib/vertica-jdbc-x.x.x.jar myapplication.class

Your Java IDE may also let you add directories to your CLASSPATH, or let you import the Vertica JDBC driver into your project. See your IDE documentation for details.