How to use a tablename variable for a java prepared statement insert

I am using a java PreparedStatment object to construct a series of batched INSERT queries. The query statement is of the format...

String strQuery = "INSERT INTO ? (col1, col2, col3, col4, col5) VALUES (?,?,?,?,?,?);";

...so both field values and the tablename are variables (ie. I have multiple tables with the same column format of which each insert will be directed to a different one). I can get the executes to work if I remove the "?" tablename variable and hard code but each prepared statement will be inserted into a different table so needs to remain a variable I populate immediately prior to executing the batch query using...

stmt.setString(1, "tableName1");

How can I let this be a dynamic variable please?

You can't. You need to contruct the sql with string concatenation/placeholder with String.format. prepared statement is for the column values not for table name.

You can use placeholder in place of table name and then replacing that with your tablename.

String strQuery = "INSERT INTO $tableName (col1, col2, col3, col4, col5)
                   VALUES (?,?,?,?,?,?);";

and replace when u come to know the tablename

String query =strQuery.replace("$tableName",tableName);
stmt =conn.prepareStatement(query);

One alternative could be String.format:

e.g.

String sql = String.format("INSERT INTO $1%s (col1, col2, col3, (etc)",  myTablename);
      

If your table name is coming from your own code ONLY...

...you would need to add it to the original string:

String tableName = "some_table_name";
// some other code
String strQuery = "INSERT INTO " + tableName + " (col1, col2, col3, col4, col5) VALUES (?,?,?,?,?,?);";

If the table name is coming any other unreliable source (user input, a parameter that other code is passing in), do not do this and see the other answers!