After reading about Derby, the open-source database engine from Apache included with ColdFusion 8, I got the idea that the embedded version would be a great tool for distributing sample applications, which often use Access databases or include a script to create an SQL Server or MySQL database.

Ben Forta briefly explains the difference between the client-server version and the embedded version of Derby, and then describes how to create an embedded database at the same time as the datasource is created in the ColdFusion Administrator – you just need to add “create=true” to the connection string field in the advanced settings, to tell the engine to create the database if it doesn’t already exist. Pretty simple:

For sample applications, which are typically installed on development machines that have access to the ColdFusion administrator, it can be done entirely through code using the AdminAPI:

This is a great addition to ColdFusion and definitely something I’m going to be using. The end of reliance on Access, imagine that!