title: What does forName() method in the Class class do, when loading jdbc:odbc driver?
body: <p>I am learning to enable my Java application to communicate with a MS Access database.</p>
  
  <p>I am unsure of one method, the Class.forName() method. The parameter I pass is "sun.jdbc.odbc.JdbcOdbcDriver", which loads the jdbc:odbc bridge for accessing a database. </p>
  
  <p>What does the Class.forName() do exactly and why is it needed? </p>
  
  <p>Thank you very much.</p>