This is a simple Java program to connect to a MySQL database, retrieve employee details from the employees table, and print them in a user-friendly format.

The project demonstrates basic Java database connectivity using JDBC, MySQL, and error handling. It is designed to showcase how to structure a Java application with external libraries, handle exceptions effectively, and organize code and resources in a clean and reusable way.

• Connects to a MySQL database using JDBC.
• Retrieves and displays employee information.
• Handles SQL and general exceptions, ensuring resources are properly closed.
• Organized repository structure for easy navigation.
• Environment variable configuration for secure and flexible database setup.

• Java 8+: Ensure that Java is installed and set up on your system.
• MySQL Server: You must have a MySQL database with an employees table.
• MySQL Connector JAR: Download the MySQL JDBC driver (mysql-connector-java-8.0.x.jar) and place it in the lib/ directory.

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/employee-database-fetcher.git
   cd employee-database-fetcher

2. Set up your .env file for database configuration:

   • Copy .env.example to .env:

     cp .env.example .env

   • Open .env and replace placeholder values with your actual database credentials.

3. Compile and run the program:

   • Use the shell scripts provided:

     ./scripts/compile.sh
     ./scripts/run.sh

The application fetches and prints a list of employees from the employees table. It expects a table with columns: id, first_name, last_name, and department.

• Compile: ./scripts/compile.sh
• Run: ./scripts/run.sh

• .env file is used to configure the database connection:
  • DB_URL: The URL of the MySQL database.
  • DB_USER: Your MySQL username.
  • DB_PASSWORD: Your MySQL password.

Example .env file:

DB_URL=jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/your_database_name
DB_USER=your_username
DB_PASSWORD=your_password