The JDBC-ODBC Bridge allows applications written in the Java programming language to use the JDBC API with many existing ODBC drivers. The Bridge is itself a driver based on JDBC technology ("JDBC driver") that is defined in the class sun.jdbc.odbc.JdbcOdbcDriver. The Bridge defines the JDBC sub-protocol odbc.
The JDBC-ODBC Bridge should be considered a transitional solution; it will be removed in JDK 8. In addition, Oracle does not support the JDBC-ODBC Bridge. Oracle recommends that you use JDBC drivers provided by the vendor of your database instead of the JDBC-ODBC Bridge.
The ideal is "Pure Java": no native code, no platform dependent features. But you may need to begin your development effort right away, without waiting for your DBMS to offer a Java-only JDBC driver. Partly native drivers, such as the JDBC-ODBC Bridge, let you create programs that easily adapt to Pure Java drivers as they become available.
