Hi Amy,
Although I realize that what works for me may not work for you, I personally don't like to use a tool that automates a process, until I fully understand the process. So if, as you claim, you are new to JDBC, allow me to suggest starting with the basics (as Krishi has suggested)
before progressing to the process automating tools.
The type of application you are describing is also known as an "enterprise application". The "Java 2 Enterprise Edition" (
J2EE) is designed for developing such applications. In case you are unaware, you can find out more about J2EE from this Web site:
http://java.sun.com/j2ee The "DAO" pattern that Andy is referring to is described in the "J2EE Blueprints" document, that is available from here:
http://java.sun.com/blueprints/guidelines/designing_enterprise_applications/index.html By the way, you don't
really need to know about J2EE in order to develop your application.
Hope this has helped you.
Good Luck,
Avi.