The mystery of rdb$db_key.If IB was for years the best kept Borland's secret, probably rdb$db_key is the best kept IB's secret, because it gives the user some extra power to access records in "raw mode". Usually referred simply as db_key, it may help you to make some magic things or improve performance but because it's an exclusive IB feature, it will tie your SQL code to Interbase. On the other hand, if you're worried about the dependency on IB, you should know or remember that several built-in functions that you use in Oracle or SqlServer are proprietary extensions, so perhaps you're already dependant on another engine without realizing that fact. IB is rather poor in built-in functions, the ones provided are exclusively standard (with the exception of gen_id for generators) and the extensions are clearly separated as UDFs. The information put here comes mainly from my experience and from some explanations I've read over the prior years, so submissions are welcome. Unfortunately, the manuals say almost nothing about rdb$db_key, so it's not a surprise several developers don't use it. This topic became too long that I decided to split it up on several pages: After reading those pages, you can decide whether you need this feature or not.
|
|
This page was last updated on 2001-01-13 00:05:36 |