Java-based data access object

A Database Development System is described that provides methodologies for creating a Java-based database control object (the "Java DataWindow") for use in a Client/Server Database System. The methodology provided by the present invention maintains the DataWindow properties (e.g., SQL statement for data to retrieve, format specifications, and the like) at a server-side DataWindow component residing at an application server. A corresponding client-side DataWindow component, embedded for instance in a target HTML page, knows how to query the server-side DataWindow component for dynamically streaming the DataWindow's properties, so that they may be applied at run-time on the client side. After an end user has entered in the input desired, the changes are determined by the client-side DataWindow component and flushed back to the server-side DataWindow component at the application server. The server-side DataWindow component, in turn, can effect the changes to the back end database, as appropriate.