You can supply an optional list of attributes to a database connection URL. translates these attributes into properties, so you can also set attributes in a Properties object passed to DriverManager.getConnection. (You cannot set those attributes as system properties, only in an object passed to the DriverManager.getConnection method.)

These attributes are specific to and are listed in .

Attribute name/value pairs are converted into properties and added to the properties provided in the connection call. If no properties are provided in the connection call, a properties set is created that contains only the properties obtained from the database connection URL. import java.util.Properties; Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection( "jdbc:derby:sampleDB;create=true"); /* setting an attribute in a Properties object */ Properties myProps = new Properties(); myProps.put("create", "true"); Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection( "jdbc:derby:sampleDB", myProps); /* passing user name and password */ Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection( "jdbc:derby:sampleDB", "dba", "password");