Data Definition Guide

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The Data Definition Guide covers information on designing and building InterBase databases. Topics include:

• Specifying data types
• Working with domains, tables, and indexes
• Working with procedures, triggers, and generators
• Encrypting databases and columns
• Character sets and collation orders

Chapters

Chapter list for the Data Definition Guide

Chapter	Description	Topics	SQL statements
Using the Data Definition Guide	The InterBase Data Definition Guide provides information on the following topics: Designing and creating databases Working with InterBase structures and objects, including data types, domains, tables, indexes, and views Working with tools and utilities such as stored procedures, triggers, Blob filters, and generators Planning and implementing database security Character sets and collation orders	What is Data Definition? Who Should Use the Data Definition Guide Using isql Using a Data Definition File	CREATE/ALTER/DROP DATABASE
Designing Databases	Planning and designing a database Understanding data integrity rules and using them in a database Planning physical storage	Overview of Design Issues Design Framework Analyzing Requirements Collecting and Analyzing Data Identifying Entities and Attributes Designing Tables Determining Unique Attributes (Designing Databases) Developing a Set of Rules (Designing Databases) Establishing Relationships between Objects Planning Security (Designing Databases) Naming Objects
Creating Databases	Creating an InterBase database	What You Should Know Creating a Database (Data Definition Guide) Altering a Database Dropping a Database Creating a Database Shadow Dropping a Shadow (Creating Databases) Expanding the Size of a Shadow Using isql to Extract Data Definitions	CREATE/ALTER/DROP DATABASE CREATE/ALTER/DROP SHADOW
Specifying Data Types	Choosing a data type	About InterBase Data Types Where to Specify Data Types Defining Numeric Data Types Date and Time Data Types Character Data Types The BOOLEAN Data Type Defining BLOB Data Types Defining Arrays Converting Data Types	CREATE/ALTER TABLE CREATE/ALTER DOMAIN
Working with Domains	Creating, altering, and dropping domains	Creating Domains (Data Definition Guide) Altering Domains Dropping a Domain	CREATE/ALTER/DROP DOMAIN
Working with Tables	Creating and altering database tables, columns, and domains Setting up referential integrity	Before Creating a Table Creating Tables (Data Definition Guide) Altering Tables Dropping Tables Global Temporary Tables	CREATE/ALTER/DROP TABLE
Working with Indexes	Creating and dropping indexes	Index Basics When to Index Creating Indexes Improving Index Performance	CREATE/ALTER/DROP INDEX
Working with Views	Creating and dropping views Using WITH CHECK OPTION	Introduction to Views Advantages of Views Creating Views (Data Definition Guide) Dropping Views	CREATE/DROP VIEW
Working with Change Views	Finding what data has changed since it was last viewed	Getting Started with Change Views Creating Subscriptions to Change Views Statement Execution Change Views API Support Change Views SQL Language Support Metadata Support Ad-hoc Subscriptions and SQL Language Support Change Views Requirements and Constraints Change Views Glossary
Working with Stored Procedures	Using stored procedures What you can do with stored procedures	Overview of Stored Procedures Working with Procedures Creating Procedures Altering and Dropping Stored Procedures Using Stored Procedures Stored Procedure Exceptions Handling Errors	CREATE/ALTER/DROP PROCEDURE CREATE/ALTER/DROP EXCEPTION
Working with Triggers	Using triggers, what you can do with triggers	About Triggers Creating Triggers Altering Triggers Dropping Triggers Using Triggers Trigger Exceptions	CREATE/ALTER/DROP TRIGGER CREATE/ALTER/DROP EXCEPTION
Working with Generators	Creating, setting, and resetting generators	About Generators Creating Generators Setting or Resetting Generator Values Using Generators Dropping Generators	CREATE GENERATOR SET GENERATOR
Planning Security	Securing data and system catalogs with SQL: tables, views, triggers, and procedures	Overview of SQL Access Privileges Granting Privileges Multiple Privileges and Multiple Grantees Using Roles to Grant Privileges Granting Users the Right to Grant Privileges Granting Privileges to Execute Stored Procedures Granting Access to Views Revoking User Access Using Views to Restrict Data Access	GRANT, REVOKE
Encrypting Your Data	Encrypt database and/or specific columns in a database; create specific users and password types; grant and revoke encrypt and decrypt permissions	About InterBase Encryption Using isql to Enable and Implement Encryption Encrypting a Database with IBConsole Encrypting Backup Files	CREATE ENCRYPTION, ENCRYPT, DECRYPT
Character Sets and Collation Orders	Specifying character sets and collation orders	About Character Sets and Collation Orders Character Set Storage Requirements InterBase Character Sets Character Sets for DOS Specifying Defaults Specifying Collation Orders	CHARACTER SET ­COLLATE