[Firebird-docs] Book about Firebird as basis for open documentation

[Pavel C. <pc...@ib...>]

Hi all,

In 2003 I wrote a book about InterBase/Firebird in Czech. It has about
450 pages, covers the common bits and differences for InterBase 6.5/7.0
and Firebird 1.0/1.5 (not everything about 1.5 is correct, it was
published before 1.5 final release). It contains all basic stuff,
reference guide and some special topics (see the outline at the end). As
the contract with the publisher ended last year and they're not
interested to renew it, I have all rights to (re)publish it back again.
As finding another publisher would be problematic (and it would need an
update anyway), I have thinking about releasing the manuscript under
some suitable open license for use by Firebird project. Sure, it would
need and update in some core parts and removal of references to
InterBase where they're not relevant (not much work, I'll do it in Czech
version), update to Reference Guide past v1.5 (already done by
documentation project, so it should be easy merge) and translation to
english.

The Firebird Foundation Committee (at a meeting currently in progress)
is considering to allocate some money to get it translated if you would
think that you could use the manuscript or just its part(s). So a quick
reply would be nice as we can't hold the committee meeting forever :-)

Book outline:

1. Introductory word
2. Introduction to InterBase
 - Origin
 - License and conditions for use and deployment
 - Overview of basic characteristics
3. About Clients and Servers
 - What is InterBase client
 - Client library
 - Server
 - Developing client applications
 - Server-side programming
4. Installation and basic server operation
 - How to choose a server architecture
 - System requirements
 - Server Installation
 - Brief list of administrative tools
5. Network configuration and connecting to server
 - Communication protocols
 - Connecting to server and database
6. Server configuration
 - Environment variables
 - Configuration files
 - How to configure database cache
7. Transactions
 - What transactions are and what they're good for
 - Functional characteristics of transactions
 - Parallel transaction processing
 - Specific of transaction implementation in InterBase
8. InterBase and SQL Language
 - InterBase and SQL standard
 - Introduction to SQL language implemented by InterBase
9. Interactive SQL console
 - Running interactive console
 - Connecting to database
 - Transactions in ISQL
 - Setting SQL dialect
 - Warnings and error handling
 - ISQL Commands
10. How to design a database
 - Basic terminology
 - Introduction to database design
 - Gathering requirements
 - Identifying entities and their attributes
 - Designing tables
 - Definition of object relations
 - Database normalization
 - Choosing indices
 - Defining processes
 - Planning data security
11. Databases
 - What you need to know before creating a database
 - Naming conventions for database objects
 - Creating database
 - Connecting to database
12. Data types
 - Supported data types
 - Conversions between data types
 - Changing data type of domains and columns
13. Domains
 - How to create a domain
 - How to change a domain
 - How to delete a domain
14. Generators
 - How to create a generator
 - Generating sequences using generators
 - How to change generator value
 - How to delete a generator
15. Character sets and collations
 - Basic terminology
 - Directly supported character sets and collations
 - Definition of new character sets and collations
 - Implicit character set
 - Character storage
 - Order method and length of index key
 - Conversion between character sets
 - Specific of some character sets
 - How to specify a Character set
 - How to specify a Collation
16. Tables
 - Basic information about tables
 - Preparation for table creation
 - How to create a table
 - How to change a table
 - How to delete a table
 - RECREATE TABLE command
17. Indices
 - The role of indices in relational database
 - When define indices
 - How to create an index
 - Index optimization
 - How to delete an index
18. Views
 - What views are good for
 - Methods how views are derived from primary data
 - How to create a view
 - How to change view definition
 - How to delete a view
19. Once again about Databases
 - Adding secondary files
 - How to delete a database
 - Database shadows
 - Read-only databases
 - Database cache
 - Synchronous and asynchronous write
 - Garbage collection and sweep
20. Database backup and restore
 - How to backup databases properly
 - GBAK - tool for database backup and restore
21. GFIX - maintenance and database recovery tool
 - Taking your database off-line and on-line
 - Setting database properties
 - Resolving limbo transactions
 - Database validation and recovery
 - Database maintenance
 - Database shadow activation/deactivation
 - List of GFIX command line options
22. Security
 - How security in InterBase works
 - GSEC - managing InterBase users
 - Security at database level
 - Securing whole system
23. Database statistics
 - GSTAT tool
 - Lock table printout and monitoring
 - Server statistics
24. Optimization of queries and server operations
 - Hardware configuration
 - Choosing the right server architecture
 - Operating system configuration
 - Network configuration
 - Database parameters
 - Database structure and server performance
 - How to keep your database optimal
 - Optimization of applications
 - Query optimization
25. Programing at the server
 - Stored procedures
 - Triggers
 - Changing data in PSQL
 - User exceptions and error handling
 - Event notifications
 - Using RDB$DB_KEY
 - User defined functions
26. Some internal secrets revealed
 - Multigenerational architecture
 - Physical database structure
 - Optimizer
27. Complete IB/FB SQL reference
 - SQL commands
 - Internal SQL functions
 - PSQL commands

best regards
Pavel Cisar
IBPhoenix