Introduction to firebidSQL 3.x

1. Introduzione a
firebird 3.x
Fabio Codebue
Firebird Foundation
Committe Member

2. Features and changes from 2.5.x

3. New features in 3.0
• Unification of the Firebird executable is complete
• True SMP support for SuperServer
• New, object-oriented C++ APIs
• «Per-Database» Configuration
• Increased Limits in Several Areas
• Multiple Security Databases
• Several New SQL Commands to Manage Users and Access
• International Characters in User Credentials
• New Data Type Support

4. New features in 3.0
• Manage NULL/NOT NULL Column/Domain Attribute
• Support for SQL Packages
• DDL Triggers
• «Window» functions in DML
• Statistical functions
• Scrollable Cursors
• SQL:2008-Compliant OFFSET and FETCH Clauses
• IPv6 Support
• Validation Whilst Database is On-line
• Run-time Statistics in gbak Verbose Output

5. Changes in database engine

6. Changes in firebird engine
• Unification of the Firebird executable is complete
Classic
Superserver
Superclassic Embedded
Common
library

7. Changes in firebird engine
• CHANGES
• The cache and lock behaviours that distinguish the execution
models are now determined externally by the settings in the
new configuration parameter ServerMode
• The connection method is determined by the order and
content of another parameter Providers
• the connection protocol that is deduced at run-time from
the connection string supplied
Note
databases.conf is the old aliases.conf from previous versions

8. Server modes

9. Providers
• PROVIDERS… IS LIKE WE ALREADY KNOWN
• methods used to connect a client to a server:
• across a network,
• host-locally,
• via the local loopback (“localhost”)
In firebird.conf, all are available by default, as follows:
#Providers = Remote,Engine12,Loopback
In databases.conf, one or more providers can be blocked by pasting the line
from firebird.conf,
uncommenting it, and deleting the unwanted provider[s].

10. Connection strings
• For TCP/IP (aka INET) protocol
<host> [ / <port>] : <database file path or alias>
• For named pipes (aka NetBEUI, aka WNET) protocol:
<host> [ @ <port>] <database file path or alias>
• For local connections, simply:
<database file path or alias>
• URL-Style Connection Strings – Firebird 3.0
<protocol> : // [ <host> [ : <port> ] ] ] / <database file path or alias>
<protocol> ::= INET | WNET | XNET

11. Plug-Ins
• From version 3 onward, Firebird's architecture supports plug-ins
• What is a plugin?
• a dynamic library, containing code to be loaded as a plug-in (often called a
plug-in module) and stored in the $FIREBIRD/plugins directory;
• code implementing a plug-in. That is slightly different from the library, since a
single dynamic library may contain code for more than one plug-in;
• a plug-in's factory: an object created by that code (pure virtual C++ class),
creating instances of the plugin at Firebird's request;
• an instance of the plug-in, created by its factory.

12. Plug-ins type
• user authentication related
• AuthServer (validates user's credentials on server when logins are used)
• AuthClient (prepares credentials to be passed over the wire)
• AuthUserManagement (maintains a list of users on a server in a format
known to AuthServer)
• ExternalEngine
• Trace
• Encryption
• network (WireCrypt)
• disk (DbCrypt)
• a helper plug-in (KeyHolder),
• Provider

13. Reserved word changes

14. Reserved words

15. Configuration Additions and Changes

16. Configuration Additions and Changes
• Scope of Parameters
• Per-database configuration is done in databases.conf.
• Per-connection configuration is primarily for client tool use and is done using the DPB parameter
• isc_dpb_config or, for Services, the SPB parameter isc_spb_config.
• In the case of Embedded, the DPB can be used to tune per-database entries on first attaching to a database.
• Macro Substitution
$(root): Root directory of Firebird instance
$(install): Directory where Firebird is installed. $(root) and $(install) are initially the same. $(root) can be overridden by
setting or altering the environment variable FIREBIRD, in which case it becomes different from $(install).
$(this): Directory where current configuration file is located
$(dir_conf) : Directory where firebird.conf and databases.conf are located
$(dir_secdb): Directory where the default security database is located
$(dir_plugins): Directory where plugins are located
$(dir_udf): Directory where UDFs are located by default
$(dir_sample): Directory where samples are located
$(dir_sampledb): Directory where sample DB (employee.fdb) is located
$(dir_intl): Directory where international modules are located
$(dir_msg): Directory where the messages file (firebird.msg) is located. $(dir_msg) usually should be the same as $(root)
but can be overridden by the environment variable FIREBIRD_MSG.

17. Configuration Additions and Changes
• Includes
• One configuration file can be included in another
include some_file.conf
include $(dir_plugins)/config/*.conf
• Expression of Parameter Values
• Previously, byte values were specified by default as integer, representing the
number of bytes.
• You can optionally specify them in Kilobytes, Megabytes or Gigabytes, as
appropriate, by adding K, M or G (case-insensitive).
24M is read as 25165824 (24 * 1024 * 1024).

18. “Per-database” Configuration
• Format of Configuration Entries
emp = c:Program
Filesexamplesempbuildemployee.fdb
** or **
emp =
/opt/firebird/examples/empbuild/employee.f
db
** or **
emp = $(dir_sampleDb)/employee.fdb
# Directives for MYBIGDB
MYBIGDB = opt/databases/mybigdb.fdb
{
LockMemSize = 32M # We know that MYBIGDB needs a lot of
locks
LockHashSlots = 19927 # and a hash table large enough for
them
}

19. “Per-database” Configuration

20. Parameters
• Added
• SecurityDatabase, AuthServer and AuthClient, WireCrypt, UserManager,
TracePlugin, WireCryptPluginKeyHolderPlugin, Providers, ServerMode,
RemoteAccess, WireCompression, IPv6V6Only
• Changed
• ExternalFileAccess,
• Removed or deprecated (so remove them)
• RootDirectory, LegacyHash, OldSetClauseSemantics, OldColumnNaming,
LockGrantOrder, Obsolete Windows priority settings,

21. Security

22. Location of User Lists
• Firebird now supports an unlimited number of security databases
• Use databases.conf to configure
first = /mnt/storage/first.fdb
{
SecurityDatabase = /mnt/storage/private.security.fdb
}
second = /mnt/storage/second.fdb
{
SecurityDatabase = /mnt/storage/private.security.fdb
}
• Creating an Alternative Security Database

23. Database security
• Database Encryption
• New Authentication Method in Firebird 3
• SSL/TLS Support: ni!!!
• Increased Password Length
• Authentication Plug-in

24. Pseudo-Tables with List of Users
• To access lists of users and attributes, query the virtual tables
SEC$USERS and SEC$USER_ATTRIBUTES
SELECT * FROM SEC$USERS
• or
SELECT * FROM SEC$USER_ATTRIBUTES

25. Data Definition Language (DDL)

26. DDL
• BOOLEAN Data Type
• IDENTITY-Style Column
• Manage Nullability in Domains and Columns
• Modify Generators (Sequences)
• Alter Default Character Set
• BLOB Expressions in Computed Columns
• “Linger” Database Closure for Superserver
• New option in DROP SHADOW to Preserve the Shadow File
• New SQL for Managing Users and Access Privileges

27. Data Manipulation Language (DML)

28. DML part I
• Supplemental SQL 2008 Features for MERGE
• Window (Analytical) Functions
• Advanced PLAN Output
• SUBSTRING With Regular Expressions
• Inverse Hyperbolic Trig Functions
• Statistical Functions
• Enhancements to DATEADD() Internal Function
• TRIM() BLOB Arguments Lose 32 KB limit

29. DML part II
• Alternatives for Embedding Quotes in String Literals
• SQL:2008-Compliant OFFSET and FETCH Clauses
• Prohibit Edgy Mixing of Implicit/Explicit Joins
• Support for Left-side Parameters in WHERE Clause
• RETURNING Clause Can be Aliased
• RETURNING Clause from Positioned Updates and Deletes
• Cursor Stability

30. DML part III
• Improvements for Global Temporary Tables
• Improvements for DML Strings
• COUNT() Now Returns BIGINT
• SIMILAR TO Performance Improvement
• OR'ed Parameter in WHERE Clause
• A Little Dialect 1 Accommodation
• Embedded SQL (ESQL) Enhancements

31. Procedural SQL (PSQL)

32. PSQL
• PSQL Stored Functions
• PSQL Subroutines
• Packages
• DDL Triggers
• Exceptions with Parameters
• CONTINUE in Looping Logic
• PSQL Cursor Stabilization
• PSQL Cursors as Variables
• SQLSTATE Now Valid in Exception Trap
• Some Size Limits Removed Using New API

33. Monitoring & Command-line Utilities

34. Monitoring
• MON$ATTACHMENTS: New information is now available:
• Operating system user name.
• Protocol and client library version.
• Client host name.
• authentication method used for connection (MON$AUTH_METHOD).
• MON$REMOTE_ADDRESS now contains the <IP>/<port> string
MON$DATABASE
• Database owner (MON$OWNER) added
• Security database type (MON$SEC_DATABASE) flag added. Value will be one
of Default/Self/Other
MON$STATEMENTS
• The PLAN is now included.

35. More practice and simple ntoes

36. Simple tips
• Where Are the Tools?
• On Windows, you will find all of the executable programs, including the
command-line and shell tools, in the Firebird installation (root) folder. In
previous versions they were in a folder beneath the root folder, named ..bin.
• On POSIX platforms, you will find the tools and other executable programs in
similar locations to those used for earlier versions. Exactly where depends on
the distribution you are using.
• Other Windows Changes
• fbclient.dll as gds32.dll: If your applications still require this, you will have to
do it manually.
• aliases.conf Is No More
• The file aliases.conf is replaced by databases.conf

37. So..what’s is new?
REALLY… ONE FEATURES IS NOT NEW
… IS THE BEST THING
FIREBIRD SIMPLY WORKS BETTER

38. Thanks…
Fabio Codebue
Firebird Foundation
Committe Member
f.codebue@p-soft.biz
www.p-soft.biz
Firebird Optimization www.ibsurgeon.it