executeBatch

executeBatch is a method used in database access APIs to execute a collection of SQL statements in a single request. It is most commonly associated with JDBC through Statement.executeBatch and PreparedStatement.executeBatch. The main purpose is to improve performance by reducing the number of round trips between an application and the database, especially for repetitive data manipulation operations.

In typical usage, an application creates a Statement or PreparedStatement, calls addBatch for each SQL command (or each parameterized set of commands in the prepared case), and then invokes executeBatch to run all batched statements at once. The method returns an array of integers, with each element corresponding to the update count for the respective command in the batch. Some statements may yield non-update results, or drivers may not provide meaningful counts in certain cases, but the array generally reflects the outcome of each batched command. If a failure occurs during execution, a BatchUpdateException may be thrown, and that exception can carry partial update counts for the commands that were executed before the error.

Transactional behavior and error handling are important considerations. When using executeBatch, applications often disable auto-commit, execute the batch, and then commit the transaction to ensure atomicity. In the event of an error, a rollback may be necessary. Batch sizes should be chosen with memory and driver capabilities in mind, and developers should consider calling clearBatch to reset the batch after execution.

References to addBatch, clearBatch, and the handling of update counts are common across JDBC implementations, and similar batch execution patterns exist in other database access APIs.