Re: [firebird-support] Is it save to append some data at end of the binary firebird database file?

[Ann Harrison aharri...@ibphoenix.com [firebird-support]]

On Tue, Dec 1, 2015 at 7:42 AM, 'Moessinger, Semjon' s.moessin...@pi.ws
[firebird-support]  wrote:
>
>
>
> My main intend is to add some version information to a firebird database
> file, since I will use firebird as embedded database and installers/update
> mechanism will need this information.
>

Not a great idea.  Unusual, imaginative, but probably catastrophic.  When
Firebird needs to add more data, it will append some number of blocks to
the end of the file.  I don't remember the algorithm exactly, but the space
will be some number of disk blocks that work out to full pages.  On a good
day, your information will be overwritten.  On a bad day, the allocation
will fail or become misaligned and make the database unusable.

>
>
> The information should be available platform independent and I would
> prefer a solution not needing any database access.
>

Maybe distribute a separate file?

Good luck,

Ann

>
>

[firebird-support] can firebirdsql input/output as json or xml?

[slucas slu...@iquanta.com [firebird-support]]

i know this is thinking way outside the box.

but is there anyway that firebird can take a pure select statement as a 
pure string, sent to its 3050 port and then output as a json or xml 
record or set of records?


just curious.  wonder what it would take?  i know there are web 
frameworks that can do that easily, but just wondering if a database 
could do that directly without the appliance in the middle.


lucas

[firebird-support] Is it save to append some data at end of the binary firebird database file?

['Moessinger, Semjon' s.moessin...@pi.ws [firebird-support]]

Hello,


My main intend is to add some version information to a firebird database file, 
since I will use firebird as embedded database and installers/update mechanism 
will need this information.


The information should be available platform independent and I would prefer a 
solution not needing any database access.


I figured out it is possible to simply append manually some ascii data at the 
end of the db file (see picture attached). This would be my preferred solution. 
It seems to work (I can still read and write to the database and even 
manipulate the database structure). But maybe this is only luck? So my question 
is:




· Is it save to do this?


· Do you suggest another method instead of my? *


* Of course it is reasonable to store the version information inside the 
database in a special table, I think. But a kind of release-script could read 
this information, append it to the binary db file and any installer/updater 
does not need to search inside the database.


Thank you in advance.


Semjon Mössinger




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