PreparedStatement setNull(..)

You could also consider using preparedStatement.setObject(index,value,type);

This guide says:

6.1.5 Sending JDBC NULL as an IN parameter

The setNull method allows a programmer to send a JDBC NULL (a generic SQL NULL) value to the database as an IN parameter. Note, however, that one must still specify the JDBC type of the parameter.

A JDBC NULL will also be sent to the database when a Java null value is passed to a setXXX method (if it takes Java objects as arguments). The method setObject, however, can take a null value only if the JDBC type is specified.

So yes they're equivalent.

Finally I did a small test and while I was programming it it came to my mind, that without the setNull(..) method there would be no way to set null values for the Java primitives. For Objects both ways

setNull(..)

and

set<ClassName>(.., null)) 

behave the same way.

but watch out for this....

Long nullLong = null;

preparedStatement.setLong( nullLong );

-thows null pointer exception-

because the protype is

setLong( long )   

NOT

setLong( Long )

nice one to catch you out eh.