Re: [Firebird-devel] Metadata without Commitment

[Jim S. <ja...@ne...>]

Paul Ruizendaal wrote:

>To date, I haven't found the time to investigate how other database systems
>implement temporary tables. However, it would seem to me that the above code
>can be usefully re-used to implement temporary tables for Firebird --
>assuming the mechanism allows for mixing DDL and DML.
>
That actually doesn't work.  The physical table is materialized until 
the commit.  Between the create table and the commit only partial 
metadata exists.  A number of the critical fields (rdb$relation_id, for 
example) are misleading or just plain wrong.

>Also, it seems to me that on the topic of "metadating without commitment" we
>are on the downward complexity slope. I believe it was Benjamin Franklin who
>once said "I wouldn't give anything for simplicity before complexity, but I
>would give anything for simplicity after complexity". Wise words.
>
>  
>
Alas, it's not that simple.  We have history to deal with.  Among the 
many problems, however, since uncommitted DDL was never a planned 
feature, nobody has ever decided or written down what the rules actually 
are or should be.