The Firebird Book A Reference for Database Developers

Although less publicized than other open source database management systems, Firebird continues to gain a dedicated following of professional users. Figures have already reached hundreds of thousands worldwide, in Firebird's short history in open source. And until now, no other book has been available.

This is the first, official book on Firebird—the free, independent, open source relational database server that emerged in 2000. Based on the actual Firebird Project, this book will provide all you need to know about Firebird database development, like installation, multi-platform configuration, SQL, interfaces, and maintenance.

This comprehensive guide will help you build stable and scalable relational database back-ends for all sizes of client/server networks. The text is well-stocked with tips, code examples, and explanations to reinforce the material covered. This book concentrates on Firebird edition 1.5—complete with updated language, security and optimization features—without neglecting the needs of Firebird 1.0 users.

Boot Camp.- Installation.- Network Setup.- Configuring Firebird.- Operating Basics.- Client/Server.- to Client/Server Architecture.- Firebird Server.- Firebird Clients.- Firebird Data Types and Domains.- About Firebird Data Types.- Number Types.- Date and Time Types.- Character Types.- BLOBs and Arrays.- Domains.- A Database and Its Objects.- From Drawing Board to Database.- Creating and Maintaining a Database.- Tables.- Referential Integrity.- Indexes.- Firebird SQL.- Firebird’s SQL Language.- DML Queries.- Expressions and Predicates.- Querying Multiple Tables.- Ordered and Aggregated Sets.- Views.- Transactions.- Overview of Firebird Transactions.- Configuring Transactions.- Programming with Transactions.- Server Programming.- to Firebird Programming.- Developing PSQL Modules.- Stored Procedures.- Triggers.- Error Handling and Events.- Security.- Security in the Operating Environment.- Server Protection.- Database-Level Security.- Configuration and Special Features.- Tools.- Interactive SQL Utility (isql).- Database Backup and Restore (gbak).- Housekeeping Tool (gfix).- Understanding the Lock Manager.

Helen Borrie is a database and application developer, a member of the Firebird project team, and a former journalist who doubles as a technical writer. She is a frequent contributor to support lists for Firebird, InterBase, and Delphi database programming.