I had been using Nexus for the last three years, doing all direct
table access, no SQL, for commercial or pro-bono work, and had started
trying to learn SQL with it after picking up a few recommended books on the
subject. Unfortunately there were simply too many bugs and other
difficulties with the system that I was not able to work out. And when
you're trying to learn something new knowing whether a problem you are
encountering is caused by your own errors or that of the system itself is
important to know!
I've already created a few test tables using IBExperts and have
written my code to setup, create/open, close a firebird database in a
net-based application, but so far I haven't used any SQL to manipulate it.
Let me ask a question here that may sound a little dumb. But as I
never had to worry about such things when using direct table access methods
this is quite new to me and I haven't found a definitive answer anywhere.
Am I correct in assuming that if I want my application to allow a
user to create a new database directory and then a particular set of tables
I can create a schema of my design database and use it as the model for the
new creation of such tables in the working application? Using table
components I would simply store the definitions and then create each table
if it didn't already exist. But with Firebird there are no table components
to speak of, so if I create my tables during design, then save out a schema,
is that basically the same thing or is there more to it?
It's odd but unlike when learning Delphi and not having any
programming experience before hand, basic questions like these were quite
easy to find out about, but in database documentation and tutorials they all
seem to skip over this kind of stuff as if you're already supposed to know
it! You end up wasting a lot of time on simple concepts that shouldn't be a
problem but are for the lack of one simple sentence telling you exactly what
a schema is and what it is used for!
from Robert Meek dba Tangentals Design CCopyright 2006
Proud to be a moderator of "The Delphi Lists" at elists.org
(["An unused program is the consequence of a higher logic!", nil]) As
written in The Compendium of Accepted Robotic and Surrlogic Theorems Used in
the Self Analysis of Elemental Positronic Pathways...1st Edition Revised
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Cosmin Prund
Sent: Thursday, February 01, 2007 6:26 AM
To: Moderated discussion list about database programming with Borland's
Delphi
Subject: Re: To Helen or any Firebird pros
About the book being "dated": I have no idea what's in the book, I've
never seen it, but I can tell you for sure: If the book is useful for
any version of Firebird, it's still very much useful. Anything that
worked on the old Interbase 6.0 release still works on Firebird 2.0
(well - everything except "bug side-effects"). Changes introduces in new
versions of Firebird are usually so obvious you will not need an updated
book to learn about them.
In my opinion, the things you need to know in order to become productive
with Firebird are:
(a) You need to be able to create a table - you can do that with
IbExpert so you don't need to understand DDL as you get going. All
interbase/firebird documentation assume you'll be creating tables with
"isql" (the command-line interface).
(b) You need to write an SELECT SQL statement. This is both easy and
difficult. Writing a simple SELECT (the equivalent of an basic "filter"
in the BDE/Dataset world) is very easy. Tapping into the full power of
SQL requires a bit more knowledge: you'll need to understand joins,
indexes, normalisation, foreign key etc. This hasn't changed much in the
last years, and since the book is supposed to be about Firebird, I'm
sure it would contain everything you need to know about SELECT.
(c) INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE. This is easy. No need to mention.
(d) Relational constraints: Foreign Key, Primary Key: I think you can
write powerful programs without those, but I really love those, because
they work like safety-nets for the programmer AND they document the
database structure.
After you become productive with Firebird you might want to go into more
advanced topics, like stored procedures, triggers, DDL, but that's
optional and it depends on the kind of data you'll be handling.
To sum it all up, if others say the book is good, don't worry about it
being dated. It can't be.
Robert Meek wrote:
> I believe it's just called "The Firebird Book" by Helen Borrie, and
> as far as I have been able to find out without actually seeing it, it is
> considered "The" Bible for Firebird. I believe also that I saw it
> advertised on one of the FireBird sites I've visited recently. Either
> DotNet.com or IBExperts. I would have tried to buy it via amazon.com
> already if I were able to find out just two things. First, how dated it
> might be as there have been several updates to Firebird since it was
> published, or if a web site is provided for updating information found in
> it, and how useful it would be to a complete novice! It's been my often
sad
> experience to purchase a programming book via the internet on a topic I
need
> or wish to learn based upon it's advertised synopsis, only to be
frustrated
> by it not providing basic and necessary information needed by the
beginner.
> So now I try very hard to get a good idea of a books contents before I
make
> a purchase.
>
> from Robert Meek dba Tangentals Design CCopyright 2006
> Proud to be a moderator of "The Delphi Lists" at elists.org
>
> (["An unused program is the consequence of a higher logic!", nil]) As
> written in The Compendium of Accepted Robotic and Surrlogic Theorems Used
in
> the Self Analysis of Elemental Positronic Pathways...1st Edition Revised
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
On
> Behalf Of Rich Cooper
> Sent: Monday, January 29, 2007 12:36 PM
> To: delphi-db@elists.org
> Subject: RE: To Helen or any Firebird pros
>
> What book is that? It sounds well worth getting. I used to use
> InterBase, and haven't had a need yet to go with FireBird, but
> it sounds like a great DB for the right applications. A good book
> on it would be great to have.
>
> Rich Cooper, CTO
> MetaSemantics Corporation
>
>
>
> ------Original Mail------
> From: "Ron Huppert" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: "'Moderated discussion list about database programming with Borland's
> Delphi'" <delphi-db@elists.org>
> Sent: Sat, 27 Jan 2007 13:38:47 -0800
> Subject: RE: To Helen or any Firebird pros
>
>
> Robert,
>
> I appreciate that you take the time to moderate this forum and that you
have
> experienced frustrations with the process of getting answers to your many
> questions.
>
> I have been reluctant to respond to this thread, but I think you owe Helen
> Borrie an apology. You are angry that she did not read all your post(s),
> but who has that much time? You could be much more succinct.
>
> I've purchased Helen Borrie's book. I suppose she is making a fast buck,
> but only in astronomical terms. This book could only be created as a
labor
> of love. She deserves getting paid and she deserves getting kudos from
the
> Delphi and Firebird community and beyond for a well-constructed book that
I
> am sure took years to compile. I don't even use Firebird and I've learned
> much from it.
>
> I guess I'll leave it at that as I must get back to selling my Chinchilla
> farm franchises.
>
> Regards,
>
> Ron Huppert
>
> _______________________________________________
>
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