The Firebird Book Second Edition: Volume 1: Firebird Fundamentals

Description

Since the original edition of The Firebird Book was published as a 900-gram doorstop in 2004, the open source Firebird relational database management system has undergone three major releases through versions 2.0, 2.1 and 2.5. The Firebird Book Second Edition brings Firebird technical users up to score across all of the releases from the original v.1.0 through to the latest 2.5. The whole book, too big to publish as a paperback, is distributed by the IBPhoenix company on a DVD. For print, it has been split into three partly overlapping volumes, of which Firebird Fundamentals is the first in the series. In This Volume Part I Firing Up with Firebird (pp. 1 - 72) This is an introductory section that goes into some depth to give the reader an understanding of client/server deployments and how you can implement them using a choice of Firebird server and client models. It provides the basics for installing Firebird, setting it up on your network and getting it up and running. 1 Firebird Servers and Clients 2 Installation 3 Network Setup and Initial Configuration 4 Operating Basics Part II Firebird Data Types & Domains (pp. 73 - 158) In this section, the various data types that Firebird supports are described and discussed in detail. 5 About Firebird Data Types 6 Number Types 7 Date and Time Types 8 Character Types 9 BLOBS and Arrays 10 Domains Part III A Database & Its Objects (pp. 159 - 288) The real work starts here: designing and defining the database that you need to fit your requirements. Broadly, it provides an in-depth reference to DML, the SQL lexicon for creating and managing the objects in Firebird databases. At the end is a detailed manual for using the interactive and command-line modes of isql, a tool that comes in every Firebird distribution, regardless of platform. 11 Designing and Defining a Database 12 Data Definition Language—DDL 13 Creating and Maintaining a Database 14 Tables 15 Indexes 16 Referential Integrity 17 Interactive SQL Utility (isql) Part IV Transactions (pp. 289 - 303) This section contains two detailed chapters describing the transactional model that allows multiple users or tasks to work with the same data simultaneously, in compliance with the ACID rules for ensuring data integrity. 18 Overview of Firebird Transactions 19 Configuring Transactions Part V Appendices (pp. 315 - 411) I Internal and External Functions II Reserved and Non-Reserved Keywords III Context Variables IV Firebird Limits V System Tables and Views VI Character Sets and Collations VII Resources Index GLOSSARY (18 pp. at end of book) The next volume of the series, Developing with Firebird Data , covers the data manipulation language (DML) lexicon that is used in client applications to retrieve, populate and modify data, and the procedural language (PSQL) for creating executable code in stored procedures, triggers and dynamic executable blocks. It covers error handling in detail, as well as the 'events' mechanisms. The third companion volume, Administering Firebird Servers and Databases , covers some of the same ground as Fundamentals Part I. It also includes a guide for migrating databases and applications to later versions of Firebird. It moves on to the detailed configuration of servers and databases and the tools for managing and monitoring them. Review: Excellent book for migration to Firebird - I bought this to transition from Paradox database management, so I was not approaching this as a complete database novice. It was very clear, explicit in how things differed from other databases (and even early iterations of Firebird), and incredibly well organized. It led me, step by step, from the basics of relational databases, through creation of objects (tables, etc), and their population and manipulation. Examples were absolutely clear and I never felt something was introduced and used that was not already explained (unlike other books on this topic). This book was so outstanding I immediately purchased the companion volumes; while my usage will likely not require their depth, the pointers to them from this volume make it clear that much can be learned there. Review: Articolo come da descrizione - Articolo come da descrizione