Firebird Interactive SQL Utility

Kamala Vadlamani
15 February 2012 Document version 0.4 Extensive review and many changes.: Paul Vinkenoog Firebird 2.x updates, conversion to stand alone manual.: Norman Dunbar

Table of Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 3 Audience ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Version .......................................................................................................................................... 3 Overview ............................................................................................................................................... 3 Invoking Isql ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Starting An Isql Session ......................................................................................................................... 4 Connecting To A Database ..................................................................................................................... 5 Using Database Alias Names .......................................................................................................... 5 Creating A Database .............................................................................................................................. 6 Setting The ISC_USER And ISC_PASSWORD Environment Variables .................................................... 7 Dialects ................................................................................................................................................. 8 Terminator Character ............................................................................................................................. 9 Isql Prompts ......................................................................................................................................... 10 Error Handling And Exception Support ................................................................................................. 10 Transaction Handling ........................................................................................................................... 11 Script Handling .................................................................................................................................... 12 Using Isql Interactively ........................................................................................................................ 13 Isql Commands ............................................................................................................................ 31 Isql Show commands ................................................................................................................... 32 Isql Set Commands ...................................................................................................................... 34 Command Line Switches ...................................................................................................................... 36 Ending An Isql Session ........................................................................................................................ 39 Isql's Help ............................................................................................................................................ 39 Glossary ............................................................................................................................................... 40 Appendix A: Document History ............................................................................................................ 42 Appendix B: License Notice ................................................................................................................. 43

Introduction
This manual provides reference material for the Firebird Interactive SQL Utility (isql), and instructions on how to use it to perform tasks within the database. Warning
This manual is a work in progress. It is subject to change and possible restructuring as new versions appear.

Audience
This manual assumes prior knowledge of basic database concepts.

Version
This manual describes the isql utility in Firebird version 1.5 and higher.

Overview
The isql utility is a text-mode client tool located in the bin directory of the Firebird installation. It provides a command line interface for interactive access to a Firebird database. It accepts DSQL statements along with a group of SET and SHOW commands to query and interact with the Firebird database. Some SET commands can be incorporated in DDL scripts to perform batch executions within isql. It also accepts DDL, DML and console commands. The isql utility can be used in three modes: as an interactive session; directly from the command line; and as a non-interactive session, using a shell script or batch file. Different tasks may be performed in each of the modes, as illustrated below: An interactive session can be invoked from the command line of the operating system shell, and lasts until the session is terminated, using a QUIT or EXIT command. Isql can be used interactively to: - Create, update, query, and drop data or meta data. - Input a script file containing a batch of SQL statements in sequence without prompting. - Add and modify data. - Grant user permissions. - Perform database administrative functions. Directly from the command line, with individual options and without starting an interactive session. Commands execute, and upon completion, return control automatically to the operating system. In a non-interactive session, the user employs a shell script or batch file to perform database functions.

Isql - Interactive SQL

Note
Because other applications in the Linux environment, for example, mySQL, also use isql as a utility name, you are advised to run the Firebird utility from its own directory, or provide the absolute file path if you have another relational database, besides Firebird, installed on your machine.

Invoking Isql
Go to the bin subdirectory of your Firebird installation and type isql (Windows) or ./isql (Linux) at the command prompt. Example:
C:\Program Files\Firebird\Firebird_2_0\bin>isql Use CONNECT or CREATE DATABASE to specify a database SQL> CONNECT "C:\DATABASES\FIREBIRD\MY_EMPLOYEE.FDB" CON> user 'SYSDBA' password 'secret';

Starting An Isql Session

To begin an isql session, enter the command line options and the name of the database in the Linux /Unix shell or Windows command console. For example: isql [options] [database_name_or_alias] Note
When invoking isql, you will need to include an appropriate -user and -password in your options, unless users have the ISC_USER and ISC_PASSWORD declared as operating system variables. For example: isql -user SYSDBA -password masterkey

Isql starts an interactive session if no options are specified. If no database is specified, users must connect to an existing database or create a new one after starting isql. It starts the interactive session by connecting to the named database, provided the login options are accurate and valid for the specified database. Depending on the options specified, isql starts an interactive or non-interactive session. Reading an input file and writing to an output file are not considered interactive tasks, therefore the -input or -output command line options do not initiate an interactive session. Options used to extract DDL statements, such as -a and -x also only initiate a non-interactive session. Isql can be run from either a local or remote client: When connecting using a local client, you may set the environment variables ISC_USER and ISC_PASSWORD. For more information on these, see below. When connecting from a remote client, you will need a valid name and password. 4

Isql - Interactive SQL

Connecting To A Database
A sample database named employee.fdb is located in the examples/empbuild subdirectory of your Firebird installation. Users can use this database to experiment with Firebird. It is possible to connect to a database using isql in two ways: locally and remotely. To connect locally, on Windows XP, use the CONNECT statement with the full file path or an alias (for a local database): SQL> CONNECT "C:\DATABASES\FIREBIRD\MY_EMPLOYEE.FDB" On Linux, a similar example would be: SQL> CONNECT "/databases/firebird/MY_EMPLOYEE.FDB" If connecting remotely (using TCP/IP), use the CONNECT statement with the server name and complete file path of the database or, an alias. When using the full path, remember to ensure that the server name is separated from the database path with a colon. To connect to a database on a Linux/UNIX server named cosmos: SQL> CONNECT 'cosmos:/usr/firebird/examples/employee.gdb'; To connect to a database on a Windows server named cosmos: SQL> CONNECT 'cosmos:C:\DATABASES\FIREBIRD\MY_EMPLOYEE.FDB' Note
Firebird is slash agnostic and automatically converts either type of slash to suit the relevant operating system.

Using Database Alias Names

In the examples above, we have been using the full path to the database file. This has a disadvantage in that all clients will be able to determine exactly where the database is to be found, or, may cause problems when the database has to be moved. To alleviate these problems, database aliases can be used. Once Firebird has been installed, a file named aliases.conf can be found in the main installation folder. By adding an entry to this folder, the full path to the database can be simplified to an alias name. This makes connecting easier, hides the actual database path from inquisitive users and allows the database to be moved around as necessary without having to change all the clients to allow them to connect to the database at the new location. To create an alias for the database currently known as /databases/firebird/MY_EMPLOYEE.FDB on the cosmos Linux server, we need to add the following to the aliases.conf file on the cosmos server. By default, this will be in the folder /opt/firebird. On Linux, this file is owned by the root user and so, must be updated by the root user. On Windows, you need to be either an administrator, a power user or SYSTEM to change the file. 5

Isql - Interactive SQL

my_employee = /databases/firebird/MY_EMPLOYEE.FDB

There should be no quotes around the path to the database file. Regardless of where the database file is currently located, or if it has its physical filename renamed, etc, all the local users will refer to the database simply as my_employee. Remote users will refer to this database as cosmos:my_employee. The following example shows an isql session being connected locally to the database using the alias name rather than a full path:
cosmos> /opt/firebird/bin/isql my_employee Database: test, User: sysdba SQL>

Alternatively, a remote connection would be made as follows, specifying the server name and the database alias together:
C:\Program Files\Firebird\Firebird_2_0\bin>isql cosmos:my_employee Database: cosmos:my_employee SQL>

Because the alias is defined on the server where the database resides, then the remote client needs to supply the server name and the alias name (as defined on that server) in order to make a connection. Using the CONNECT command in an existing isql session is equally as simple using alias names:
SQL> CONNECT 'cosmos:my_employee; Database: cosmos:my_employee SQL>

Caution
Regarding the security aspect of using database alias names to hide the full path to the actual database file(s), it's not really all that secure as the following SQL command shows:
SQL> select MON$DATABASE_NAME from mon$database; MON$DATABASE_NAME ================================= /data/databases/firebird/test.fdb

Creating A Database
To create a database interactively using the isql command shell, get to a command prompt in Firebird's bin subdirectory and type isql (Windows) or ./isql (Linux):
C:\Program Files\Firebird\Firebird_2_0\bin>isql Use CONNECT or CREATE DATABASE to specify a database

To create a database named monkey.fdb and store it in a directory named test on your C drive:
SQL>CREATE DATABASE 'C:\test\monkey.fdb' page_size 8192

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CON>user 'SYSDBA' password 'masterkey';#

Note
In the CREATE DATABASE statement it is mandatory to place quote characters (single or double) around path, user name and password. When running Classic Server on Linux, if the database is not started with a host name, the database file will be created with the Linux login name as the owner. This may cause access rights to others who may want to connect at a later stage. By prepending the localhost: to the path, the server process, with Firebird 2.0 running as user firebird, will create and own the file.

To test the newly created database type:

SQL>SELECT RDB$RELATION_ID FROM RDB$DATABASE; RDB$RELATION_ID =============== 128 SQL> commit;

To get back to the command prompt type quit or exit. Note

The above technique, as demonstrated, works, but ideally databases and meta data objects should be created and maintained using data definition scripts.

Setting The ISC_USER And ISC_PASSWORD Environment Variables

An environment variable is a named object that contains information used by one or more applications. They are global to their specific Operating Systems. The Firebird server recognises and uses certain environment variables configured in Windows, Linux and other Unix systems. The ISC_USER and ISC_PASSWORD environment variables in Firebird are designed to give SYSDBA access to the database from the command line utilities and client applications to anyone who has access to a host machine. Caution
When running command line utilities like isql, gbak, gstat, and gfix, Firebird will search to see if the ISC_USER and ISC_PASSWORD environment variables are set. If you do not provide a user name and password while connecting to a database locally, Firebird will let you log in provided it finds these variables. For security reasons, it is not advised to specify the SYSDBA user name and password using these two environment variables especially on an insecure computer.

The ISC_USER and ISC_PASSWORD environment variables may be set in order to start isql locally. To set the environment variables: 7

Isql - Interactive SQL In Windows 2000 / XP, this is done in the Control Panel -> System -> Advanced -> Environment Variables. Any changes made here will be permanent. You may also define these variables in a command window prior to running any of the Firebird utilities, such as isql. For example:
C:\> set ISC_USER=sysdba C:\> set ISC_PASSWORD=secret C:\> isql my_employee SQL>

In Linux and Unix platforms, this depends on the type of shell being used and how the desktop is configured. Please refer to your Operating System documentation to set environmental variables. For the bash shell, the following example shows the process:
cosmos> export ISC_USER=sysdba cosmos> export ISC_PASSWORD=secret cosmos> /opt/firebird/bin/isql my_employee SQL>

Dialects
Firebird supports three SQL dialects in each client and database server. These SQL dialects are differentiated in the context of the date-time format and the precision of a numerical data type. The dialects serve to instruct the Firebird server on how to process features implemented in legacy Borland Interbase databases, earlier than version 6.0. Dialects are set up at runtime and can be changed for the client at connection time or with a SET SQL DIALECT command. Note
Dialect 2 is only used when converting a dialect 1 database to a dialect 3 database.

The following table illustrates the differences between the dialects. Table 1. SQL Dialects SQL Date Time Stamp Time <"quoted item"> Precision: 1/3 = Numeric 11 Dialect 1 Dialect 2 Dialect 3 Date only Timestamp Time only Symbol only 0 64 bit int

Date & Time (Times- ERROR Message tamp) Timestamp (v.6.x only) Error message String Timestamp Error message Error message

0.3333333... (double pre- 0 cision) double precision 64 bit int

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Note
Currently it is possible to create databases in Dialect 1 and 3 only, however it is recommended that you use Dialect 3 exclusively, since Dialect 1 will eventually be deprecated. Dialect 2 cannot be used to create a database since it only serves to convert Dialect 1 to Dialect 3.

When connecting to a database using isql, the utility takes on the dialect of the database, unless you specify otherwise. Dialects cannot be set as a parameter of a CREATE DATABASE statement. So, when creating a database using isql, the database will be in the dialect that is current in isql at the time the CREATE DATABASE statement is issued. You may set the dialect using the isql utility in two ways: When you start isql type:
cosmos> isql -sql_dialect n (where n refers to the dialect number)

Within a SQL script or isql session, type: SQL> SET SQL DIALECT n; Note
Prior to Firebird 2.0 when isql disconnected from a database, either by dropping it or by trying to connect to a non-existent database, it remembered the SQL dialect of the previous connection, which lead to some inappropriate warning messages. This has been fixed in 2.0

Terminator Character
The default terminator symbol for the Firebird database is the semicolon (;). Statements will only be executed if they end with a semicolon. However, you may use isql to change the symbol to any printable character from the first 127 characters of the ASCII subset, by using the SET TERM command. Note
The default terminator maybe changed in all instances except in the case of procedure language statements or PSQL. PSQL does not accept any terminator other than a semicolon.

To change the terminator character to a tilda (~) enter the following code: SQL> SET TERM ~; You must terminate this command with the current terminator of course! Changing the terminator is useful if you wish to type in a PSQL function as the following example shows. Because PSQL will only accept the semicolon as a terminator, then isql needs to know which semicolon is being used for the PSQL code and which is being used to terminate the SQL commands being entered.
SQL> set term ~; SQL> create procedure test_proc (iInput integer = 666) CON> returns (oOutput integer)

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CON> as CON> begin CON> oOutput = iInput; CON> suspend; CON> end~ SQL> set term ;~ SQL> commit; SQL> select * from test_proc; OOUTPUT ============ 666

You can see that withing the code for the procedure itself, the terminator is the semicolon. However, outside of the actual procedure code, the terminator is the tilde (~). isql is processing a single CREATE PROCEDURE command, but within that one SQL statement, there are multiple embedded PSQL statements:
oOutput = iInput; suspend;

These have the semicolon terminator, as required by PSQL. The end of the CREATE PROCEDURE command is indicated by the use of the tilde as the terminator:
end~

Isql Prompts
The SQL prompt: As shown above, the normal isql prompt for input is the SQL> prompt. This indicates that the previous command has been completed and isql is now waiting for a new command to process. The CON prompt: The CON> or Continuation prompt is displayed if users press ENTER without ending a SQL statement with a terminator. For example:
SQL> HELP CON>

Whenever you see the CON> prompt, you may either continue entering the remainder of the command, or, enter a terminator to terminate the command. When you press return, the command will be executed in the latter case.

Error Handling And Exception Support

Exception handling is a programming construct designed to handle an occurrence that disrupts the normal execution of a program. These are called errors. Exceptions are user-defined named error messages, written specifically for a database and stored in that database for use in stored procedures and triggers. For example, if it is ascertained in a trigger that the value in a table is incorrect, the exception is fired. This leads to a rollback of the total transaction that the client application is attempting to commit. Exceptions can be 10

Isql - Interactive SQL interleaved, and shared among the different modules of an application, and even among different applications sharing a database. They provide a simple way to standardize the handling of preprogrammed input errors. Exceptions are database objects, like Tables, Views and Domains, and are part of the database's meta data. They can be created, modified and dropped like all other Firebird objects using isql. In isql, error messages comprise the SQLCODE variable and the Firebird status array. The following table provides some examples: Table 2. ISQL Error Codes and Messages SQLCODE <0 0 +1 to +99 +100 Message SQLERROR SUCCESS SQLWARNING NOT FOUND Meaning Error occurred: statement did not execute Successful execution System warning or information message No qualifying rows found, or end of current active set of rows reached

Transaction Handling
The Firebird architecture allows high transaction concurrency. Transaction save points (nested transactions) are also supported. All Firebird transactions are ACID compliant. ACID is explained below: Atomicity ensures that transactions either complete in their entirety or not at all, even if the system fails halfway through the process. Consistency ensures that only valid data will be written to the database. If a transaction is executed that violates the databases consistency rules, the entire transaction will be rolled back and the database will be restored to a state consistent with those rules. If a transaction successfully executes, it will take the database from one state that is consistent with the rules to another state that is also consistent with the rules, without necessarily preserving consistency at all intermediate levels. Isolation ensures that transactions are isolated from one another, even if several transactions are running concurrently. Concurrency refers to a state within the database where two or more tasks are running simultaneously. This way, a transaction's updates are concealed from the rest until that transaction commits. Transactions in Firebird are isolated within separate contexts defined by client applications passing transaction parameters. Durability ensures that once a transaction commits, its updates survive within the database, even if there is a subsequent system crash. There are several parameters available to configure transactions in order to ensure consistency within the database. These parameters invoke the concept of concurrency. To ensure data integrity, there are four configurable parameters affecting concurrency: isolation level; lock resolution mode; access mode; and table reservation. Isolation Level: A transaction isolation level defines the interaction and visibility of work performed by simultaneously running transactions. There are four transaction isolation levels according to the SQL standard: - READ COMMITTED: A transaction sees only data committed before the statement has been executed. - READ UNCOMMITTED: A transaction sees changes done by uncommitted transactions. 11

Isql - Interactive SQL - REPEATABLE READ: A transaction sees during its lifetime only data committed before the transaction has been started. - SERIALIZABLE: This is the strictest isolation level, which enforces transaction serialization. Data accessed in the context of a serializable transaction cannot be accessed by any other transaction. In isql, a transaction is begun as soon as the utility is started. The transaction is begun in SNAPSHOT isolation, with a lock resolution set to WAIT. Since the Firebird isql utility accepts DDL, DML and other commands, transactions are handled accordingly, in the following ways: DDL statements are committed automatically when issued at the SQL prompt in two ways: - When COMMIT statements are included in the script. - By ensuring the automatic commit of DDL in a isql script, by issuing a SET AUTODDL ON statement. To turn it off, issue a SET AUTODDL OFF statement at the isql prompt. DML statements are not committed automatically. You must issue a COMMIT statement to commit any DML changes to the database. You can use various SHOW commands in isql to query database meta data. Meta data is stored in system tables. When a SHOW command is issued it operates in a separate transaction from user statements. They run as READ COMMITTED background statements and acknowledge all meta data changes immediately. Users can specify the access mode and level of isolation for the next transaction, and explicitly commit the current transaction by using the SET TRANSACTION statement. SET TRANSACTION can be executed only when there is no other transaction being processed. It does not by itself initiate a transaction. Here is the syntax: SQL> SET TRANSACTION; In Firebird 2.0 the SET TRANSACTION statement has been enhanced to support all Transaction Parameter Buffer (TPB) options. These include: NO AUTO UNDONE IGNORE LIMBO LOCK TIMEOUT <number> Example:
SET TRANSACTION WAIT SNAPSHOT NO AUTO UNDONE LOCK TIMEOUT 10;

Note
If you request help on the set in isql then the set transaction command is not shown.

Script Handling
A batch of DDL or DML statements in a text file is known as a script. Scripts can be used to create and alter database objects. These are referred to as Data Definition Language (DDL) scripts. Scripts that manipulate data by inserting, updating or performing data conversions, are called Data manipulation Language (DML) scripts. One of the most important tasks handled by isql is to process scripts. It can handle both DDL and DML Scripts, but they should be included in separate scripts to avoid data integrity problems. This script processing feature of isql allows the linking of one script to another using the isql command INPUT <filespec>. Scripts statements are executed in order. The default setting in isql for AUTODDL is set to ON. You may use the SET AUTODDL command to control where or when statements will be committed. 12

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Note
The AUTODDL setting only affects DDL statements. It doesn't commit DML statements. If you mix DDL and DML statements within the same interactive session, then the AUTODDL commits do not commit your DML transactions. For example:
SQL> insert into test(a) values (666); SQL> commit; SQL> select * from test; A ============ 666 SQL> insert into test(a) values (999); SQL> select * from test; A ============ 666 999 SQL> create table another_test(b integer); SQL> rollback; SQL> select * from test; A ============ 666

Using Isql Interactively

The Firebird isql utility can be used interactively to: Create, update, query, and drop data and meta data. Add and modify data. Test queries. Perform database administrative functions. Input a script file containing a batch of SQL statements in sequence without prompting.

To perform these functions, isql accepts three kinds of commands at the prompt: DDL statements: Data Definition Language statements are used to define database schemas and/or objects. Examples of DDL commands include: CREATE, ALTER, RECREATE and DROP. DML statements: Data Manipulation Language statements allow the user to manipulate data objects and relationships between them, in the context of given database schemas. DML supports the manipulation and processing of database objects. Examples of DML statements are: INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE. Isql commands, which are instructions to isql itself, including SET and SHOW commands. These are discussed below. - Commands that perform general tasks, such as processing scripts and executing shell commands. These commands are: INPUT, OUTPUT, QUIT, SHELL, BLOBDUMP, BLOBVIEW, HELP, EDIT, ADD, COPY and EXIT. 13

Isql - Interactive SQL INPUT: reads and executes SQL scripts from a defined text file. These files can have several embedded DDL scripts in them. Scripts, can be created using a text editor or built interactively, using the OUTPUT or EDIT command. For example: SQL> INPUT filename; Table 3. INPUT arguments ARGUMENTS FILENAME DESCRIPTIONS Name of a file containing SQL statements and commands.

OUTPUT: redirects output to a disk file or to a monitor(output screen). To output both data and commands, use SET ECHO ON. To output data only, use SET ECHO OFF. Here is the code: SQL> OUTPUT [filename]; Table 4. OUTPUT arguments ARGUMENTS FILENAME DESCRIPTIONS Name of the file where output is saved. If no file name is given, results appear on the monitor.

Example:
SQL> OUTPUT C:\data\managers.dta; SQL> SELECT EMP_NO, EMP_NAME FROM MANAGER; /* Output goes to file */ SQL> OUTPUT; /* Output goes back to screen */

SHELL: provides temporary access to the command line of the operating system shell without committing or rolling back any transactions. Here is the code: SQL> SHELL [operating system command]; Table 5. SHELL arguments ARGUMENTS Operating System command DESCRIPTIONS A valid operating system command or call. After the command is executed, control returns to isql. In cases where no command is issued, isql opens an interactive session in the OS shell. To return control to isql, type exit.

Example :
SQL> SHELL dir /mydir;

BLOBDUMP: stores BLOB(Binary Large Object) data in a defined file. Here is the code:

14

Isql - Interactive SQL SQL> BLOBDUMP blob_id filename; Table 6. BLOBDUMP arguments ARGUMENTS BLOB ID DESCRIPTIONS Identifier consisting of two hex numbers separated by a colon (:). The first number is the ID of the table containing the BLOB column, the second is a sequenced instance number. To get the blob_id, issue any SELECT statement that selects a column of BLOB data. The output will show the hex blob_id above or in place of the BLOB column data, depending on whether SET BLOB[DISPLAY] is ON or OFF. Fully qualified file system name of the file which is to receive the data.

FILENAME

Example :
SQL> BLOBDUMP 32:d48 IMAGE.JPG;

BLOBVIEW: BLOBVIEW displays BLOB data in the default text editor. Here is the code: BLOBVIEW blob_id; Table 7. BLOBVIEW arguments ARGUMENTS BLOB ID DESCRIPTIONS Identifier consisting of two hex numbers separated by a colon (:). See BLOBDUMP for instructions on how to determine the blob_id you are looking for. In current versions, BLOBVIEW does not support online editing of the BLOB. It may be introduced in a future release. Fully qualified file system name of the file which is to receive the data.

FILENAME

Example :
SQL> BLOBVIEW 85:7;

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Note
BLOBVIEW may return an Invalid transaction handle error after you close the editor. This is a known bug. To correct the situation, start a transaction manually, with the command SET TRANSACTION;

HELP: displays a list of isql commands with descriptions. You can combine it with OUTPUT to print the list to a file. Here is the code: SQL> HELP; For example, to create a text file containing all the output from the help command:
SQL> OUTPUT HELPLIST.TXT; SQL> HELP; SQL> OUTPUT; /* toggles output back to the monitor */

No arguments. EDIT: allows editing and re-execution of the previous isql command or of a batch of commands in a source file. Here is the code: SQL> EDIT [filename]; Table 8. EDIT arguments ARGUMENT FILENAME DESCRIPTION Optional, fully qualified file system name of file to edit.

Example :
SQL> EDIT /usr/mystuff/batch.sql;

ADD: adds rows interactively to a table, field after field. COPY: copies the structure of a table into a new table, either in the same database or in another. EXIT: commits the current transaction without prompting, closes the database and ends the isql session. Note
If you need to rollback the transaction instead of committing it, use QUIT instead.

Example :
SQL> EXIT;

No arguments. QUIT: rolls back the current transaction without prompting, closes the database and ends the isql session.

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Note
If you need to commit the transaction instead of rolling it back, use EXIT instead.

Example :
SQL> QUIT;

No arguments. - SHOW COMMANDS: are used to query the database to display meta data. Meta data is stored in system tables. Meta data includes the definition of database objects such as domains, generators, tables, constraints, indices, views, triggers, stored procedures, user-defined functions(UDFs), and blob filters. SHOW commands run in READ COMMITTED mode to ensure the return of the most up-to-date view of the database. Here is the list of SHOW commands: SHOW DOMAIN[S]: displays domain information. A domain is a user-defined data type, global to the database. It is used to define the format and range of columns, upon which the actual column definitions in tables are based. Firebird tables are defined by the specification of columns, which store appropriate information in each column using data types. A data type is an elemental unit when defining data, which specifies the type of data stored in tables, and which operations may be performed on this data. It can also include permissible calculative operations and maximum data size. Examples of data types include: numerical (numeric, decimal, integer);textual (char, varchar, nchar, nvarchar); date (date, time, timestamp) and blobs(binary large objects). Here is the syntax to display domain information: SQL> SHOW { DOMAINS | DOMAIN name }; Table 9. SHOW DOMAIN[S] arguments ARGUMENTS DOMAIN[S] DOMAIN name DESCRIPTION Lists the names of all the domains declared in the database Displays definition of the named domain

Example :
SQL> SHOW DOMAIN; ADDRESSLINE COUNTRYNAME DEPTNO FIRSTNAME ... SQL> SHOW DOMAIN ADRESSLINE; ADDRESSLINE BUDGET CUSTNO EMPNO JOBCODE

VARCHAR(30) Nullable

17

Isql - Interactive SQL SHOW GENERATOR[S}: displays information about generators. Generators are automatic sequential counters, spanning the entire database. They are outside the purview of transaction control. Here is the syntax to display generator information: SQL> SHOW { GENERATORS | GENERATOR name }; Table 10. SHOW GENERATOR[S] arguments ARGUMENTS GENERATORS GENERATOR NAMES DESCRIPTION Lists the names of all generators declared in the database, along with their next values Displays the declaration of the named generator, along with its next value

Example :
SQL> SHOW GENERATORS; Generator CUST_NO_GEN, current value is 1015 Generator EMP_NO_GEN, current value is 145 SQL> SHOW GENERATOR EMP_NO_GEN; Generator EMP_NO_GEN, current value is 145

Note
The term generator is non standard and has been replaced by the ANSI Standard term sequence. The above should now be replaced by the following: SQL> SHOW SEQUENCES; Generator CUST_NO_GEN, current value is 1015 Generator EMP_NO_GEN, current value is 145 SQL> SHOW SEQUENCE EMP_NO_GEN; Generator EMP_NO_GEN, current value is 145

SHOW CHECK: displays all user-defined check constraints defined for a table. Here is the syntax for the code: SQL> SHOW CHECK <table name>; Table 11. SHOW CHECK arguments ARGUMENTS Table Name DESCRIPTION Name of a table that exists in the attached database, and if it has any user-defined check constraints

Example :

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SQL> SHOW CHECK COUNTRY; There are no check constraints on table COUNTRY in this database

SHOW DATABASE: displays information about the attached database (file name, page size and allocation, sweep interval, transaction numbers and Forced Writes status) and starting in Firebird 2.0, also reveals the On-Disk Structure or ODS version. On-Disk structure or ODS identifies a database with the release version of Firebird. The ODS of a database affects its compatibility with server versions. The ODS can be upgraded by using the gbak utility. In Firebird 2.0 ODS has been changed to 11. For version, see SHOW VERSION. Here is the syntax for the code: SQL> SHOW DATABASE | DB; No arguments. Example :
SQL> SHOW DATABASE; Database: C:\Databases\Firebird\employee.fdb Owner: SYSDBA PAGE_SIZE 4096 Number of DB pages allocated = 259 Sweep interval = 20000 Forced Writes are ON Transaction - oldest = 179 Transaction - oldest active = 180 Transaction - oldest snapshot = 180 Transaction - Next = 187 ODS = 11.0 Default Character set: NONE

SHOW EXCEPTION[S]: displays exception information. Exceptions are user-defined named error messages, written specifically for a database and stored in that database for use in stored procedures and triggers. An exception is triggered when the value in a table is ascertained to be incorrect. This leads to a rollback of the transaction that the client application is attempting to commit. Exceptions can be interleaved. They can be shared among the different modules of an application, and even among different applications sharing a database. They provide a simple way to standardize the handling of preprogrammed input errors. Here is the syntax for the code: SQL> SHOW { EXCEPTIONS | EXCEPTION name };

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Table 12. SHOW EXCEPTION[S] arguments ARGUMENTS EXCEPTIONS EXCEPTION NAME TYPE DESCRIPTION Lists the names and texts of all exceptions declared in the database Displays text of the named single exception Stored Procedure

Example :
SQL> SHOW EXCEPTIONS; Exception Name =============================== CUSTOMER_CHECK Msg: Overdue balance -- can not CUSTOMER_ON_HOLD Msg: This customer is on hold. ... Used by, Type ================================= SHIP_ORDER, Stored procedure ship. SHIP_ORDER, Stored procedure

SQL> SHOW EXCEPTION CUSTOMER_CHECK; Exception Name =============================== CUSTOMER_CHECK Msg: Overdue balance -- can not Used by, Type ================================= SHIP_ORDER, Stored procedure ship.

SHOW FUNCTION[S]: displays information about user-defined functions (UDFs) declared in the attached database. A user-defined function (UDF) is used to perform tasks that Firebird cannot. It can be described as an external database function written entirely in another language, such as C++ or Pascal, to perform data manipulation tasks not directly supported by Firebird. UDFs can be called from Firebird and executed on the server. These functions can exist on their own or be collected into libraries. UDFs offer the possibility to create your own functions (such as SUBSTR) and integrate them in the database itself. Each UDF is arranged as a function, belonging to a DLL (Linux: .so). Thus one dynamically loaded library consists of at least one function. UDF definitions are database dependent and not server dependent, i.e. they need to be registered for each database individually. Since in Firebird, the libraries need to be stored in the Firebird UDF folder. Please refer to the DECLARE EXTERNAL FUNCTION statement for details of incorporating UDFs in Firebird.

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Isql - Interactive SQL

Note
It is important to note that the majority of UDFs, when used in a WHERE condition, prevent indices from being used during execution.

Here is the syntax for the code: SQL> SHOW { FUNCTIONS | FUNCTION name }; Table 13. SHOW FUNCTION[S] arguments ARGUMENTS FUNCTION[S] FUNCTION NAME[S] DESCRIPTION Lists the names of all UDFs declared in the database Displays the declaration of the named UDF

SHOW GRANT: displays privileges and ROLE ownership information about a named object in the attached database; or displays user membership within roles. GRANT is the SQL statement, used to assign privileges to database users for specified database objects. Here is the syntax for the code: SQL> SHOW GRANT { object | role name }; Table 14. SHOW GRANT arguments ARGUMENTS OBJECT ROLE NAME DESCRIPTION Name of an existing table, view or procedure in the current database Name of an existing role in the current database. Use SHOW ROLES to list all the roles defined for this database.

Example:
SQL> SHOW GRANT; ... GRANT GRANT GRANT GRANT GRANT ...

EXECUTE EXECUTE EXECUTE EXECUTE EXECUTE

ON ON ON ON ON

PROCEDURE PROCEDURE PROCEDURE PROCEDURE PROCEDURE

ADD_EMP_PROJ TO PUBLIC WITH GRANT OPTION ALL_LANGS TO PUBLIC WITH GRANT OPTION DELETE_EMPLOYEE TO PUBLIC WITH GRANT OPTION DEPT_BUDGET TO PUBLIC WITH GRANT OPTION GET_EMP_PROJ TO PUBLIC WITH GRANT OPTION

SQL> SHOW GRANT ADD_EMP_PROJ; GRANT EXECUTE ON PROCEDURE ADD_EMP_PROJ TO PUBLIC WITH GRANT OPTION

21

Isql - Interactive SQL SHOW INDEX | INDICES: displays information about a named index, about indices for a specified table or about indices for all tables in the attached database. Here is the syntax for the code: SQL> SHOW {INDICES | INDEX { index | table } }; Table 15. SHOW INDEX| INDICES arguments ARGUMENT INDEX TABLE DESCRIPTION Name of an existing index in the current database Name of an existing table in the current database

Note
SHOW IND is an alias for either SHOW INDEX or SHOW INDICES.

Example:
SQL> SHOW INDEX; RDB$PRIMARY1 UNIQUE INDEX ON COUNTRY(COUNTRY) CUSTNAMEX INDEX ON CUSTOMER(CUSTOMER) CUSTREGION INDEX ON CUSTOMER(COUNTRY, CITY) RDB$FOREIGN23 INDEX ON CUSTOMER(COUNTRY) RDB$PRIMARY22 UNIQUE INDEX ON CUSTOMER(CUST_NO) ... SQL> SHOW INDEX CUSTNAMEX; CUSTNAMEX INDEX ON CUSTOMER(CUSTOMER)

SHOW PROCEDURE[S]: lists all procedures in the attached database, with their dependencies; or displays the text of the named procedure with the declarations and types (input/output) of any parameters. Here is the syntax for the code: SQL> SHOW {PROCEDURES | PROCEDURE name }; Table 16. SHOW PROCEDURE[S] arguments ARGUMENT NAME DESCRIPTION Name of an existing stored procedure in the current database.

Note
SHOW PROC is an alias for either SHOW PROCEDURE or SHOW PROCEDURES.

Example:
SQL> SHOW PROCEDURE;

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Isql - Interactive SQL

Procedure Name Dependency, Type ================================= ====================================== ADD_EMP_PROJ EMPLOYEE_PROJECT, Table UNKNOWN_EMP_ID, Exception ALL_LANGS JOB, Table SHOW_LANGS, Procedure ... SQL> SHOW PROCEDURE ADD_EMP_PROJ; Procedure text: ======================================================================== BEGIN BEGIN INSERT INTO employee_project (emp_no, proj_id) VALUES (:emp_no, :proj_id); WHEN SQLCODE -530 DO EXCEPTION unknown_emp_id; END SUSPEND; END ======================================================================== Parameters: EMP_NO INPUT SMALLINT PROJ_ID INPUT CHAR(5)

SHOW ROLE[S]: displays the names of SQL roles for the attached database. A role is a set of privileges on a set of database objects such as tables and views. Roles are assigned using a GRANT statement. To show user membership within roles, use SHOW GRANT| ROLE NAME. Note
There can be a chain of roles; for example, in a bank, the role employee may be granted to all tellers, and the role of teller may be granted to all managers, in addition to all privileges automatically granted to managers. Thus all actions executed by a session have all the privileges granted directly to the user, as well as all privileges granted to roles that are granted (directly or indirectly via other roles) to that user.

Here is the syntax for the code: SQL> SHOW ROLES; No arguments. SHOW SQL DIALECT: displays the SQL dialects of the client and of the attached database, if there is one. Here is the syntax for the code: SQL> SHOW SQL DIALECT; Example:
SQL> SHOW SQL DIALECT; Client SQL dialect is set to: 3 and database SQL dialect is: 3

SHOW SYSTEM: displays the names of system tables and system views for the attached database. Here is the syntax: SQL> SHOW SYS [ TABLES ];

23

Isql - Interactive SQL No arguments. TABLES is an optional keyword that does not affect the behavior of the command in versions up to Firebird 1.5.3(?). This changes in version 2.0 onwards. In Firebird Version 2.0, the SHOW SYSTEM command shows predefined UDFs. The SHOW < object_type> command is designed to show user objects of that type. In versions earlier than 2.0, the SHOW SYSTEM command showed only system tables. Starting with 2.0, it also lists predefined system UDFs. In future releases it could also display views. Shorthand: SHOW SYS is equivalent. Example:
SQL> SHOW SYSTEM; Tables: RDB$BACKUP_HISTORY RDB$CHECK_CONSTRAINTS RDB$DATABASE RDB$EXCEPTIONS RDB$FIELD_DIMENSIONS ... Functions: RDB$GET_CONTEXT RDB$CHARACTER_SETS RDB$COLLATIONS RDB$DEPENDENCIES RDB$FIELDS RDB$FILES

RDB$SET_CONTEXT

SHOW TABLES: lists all tables or views in the database, and or displays information on specific named table[s] or view[s]. Example:
SQL> SHOW TABLES; COUNTRY DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEE_PROJECT PROJECT SALARY_HISTORY

CUSTOMER EMPLOYEE JOB PROJ_DEPT_BUDGET SALES

Note
See also SHOW VIEW[s].

SHOW TRIGGERS: displays all the triggers defined in the database along with the associated table name. A database trigger is procedural code, that is automatically executed in response to specific events, on a specified table, in a database. Here is the syntax for the code: SQL>SHOW TRIGGERS; Example:
SQL> SHOW TRIGGERS; Table name =========== CUSTOMER EMPLOYEE

Trigger name ============ SET_CUST_NO SAVE_SALARY_CHANGE

24

Isql - Interactive SQL

EMPLOYEE SALES SET_EMP_NO POST_NEW_ORDER

SHOW VERSION: displays information about the software versions of isql and the Firebird server program, and the on-disk structure of the attached database. However, in Firebird 2.0 onwards the ODS version can also be returned using the SHOW DATABASE statement. Here is the syntax for the code: SQL> SHOW VERSION; No arguments. Shorthand: SHOW VER is equivalent. Example:
SQL> SHOW VERSION; ISQL Version: WI-V2.0.0.12745 Firebird 2.0 Release Candidate 5 Server version: Firebird/x86/Windows NT (access method), version "WI-V2.0.0.12745 Firebird 2.0 Release Candidate 5" Firebird/x86/Windows NT (remote server), version "WI-V2.0.0.12745 Firebird 2.0 Release Candidate 5/XNet (PLAYTHING)/P10" Firebird/x86/Windows NT (remote interface), version "WI-V2.0.0.12745 Firebird 2.0 Release Candidate 5/XNet (PLAYTHING)/P10" on disk structure version 11.0

Note
The output listed above has been split over more than one line to allow it to fit on a PDF pege. Hyphens show the location where certain lines have been split.

SHOW VIEW[s]: lists all views, or displays information about the named view. Here is the syntax for the code: SQL> SHOW { VIEWS | VIEW name }; Table 17. SHOW VIEW[S] ARGUMENT NAME DESCRIPTION Name of an existing view in the current database. The output contains column names and the SELECT statement that the view is based on.

Example:
SQL> SHOW VIEW; PHONE_LIST

Note
See also SHOW TABLES.

25

Isql - Interactive SQL SET COMMANDS: enable users to view and change the isql environment. To view the current settings for the various set commands in the database, issue the following command:
SET;
SQL> SET; Print statistics: Echo commands: List format: Row Count: Autocommit DDL: Access Plan: Access Plan only: Display BLOB type: Column headings: Terminator: Time: Warnings: Bail on error:

OFF OFF OFF OFF ON OFF OFF 1 ON ; OFF ON OFF

SET AUTODDL: specifies whether DDL statements are committed automatically after being executed, or committed only after an explicit COMMIT. Here is the syntax for the code: SQL> SET AUTODDL [ON | OFF]; /* default is ON */ Table 18. SET AUTODDL arguments ARGUMENT ON OFF DESCRIPTION Toggles automatic commit on. Toggles automatic commit off.

Shorthand : SET AUTO (with no argument) simply toggles AUTODDL on and off. SET BLOBDISPLAY: specifies both sub_type of BLOB to display and whether BLOB data should be displayed. Here is the syntax for the code: SQL> SET BLOBDISPLAY [ n | ALL | OFF ];

26

Isql - Interactive SQL

Table 19. SET BLOBDISPLAY arguments ARGUMENT n ON OFF DESCRIPTION BLOB SUB_TYPE to display. Default: n= 1 (text) Display BLOB data of any sub_type Toggles display of BLOB data off. The output shows only the Blob ID (two hex numbers separated by a colon (:). The first number is the ID of the table containing the BLOB column. The second is a sequenced instance number.

Shorthand: SET BLOB is the same. SET COUNT: toggles off/on whether to display the number of rows retrieved by queries. Here is the syntax for the code: SQL> SET COUNT [ON | OFF]; Table 20. SET COUNT arguments ARGUMENT ON OFF DESCRIPTION Toggles on display of "rows returned" message Toggles off display of "rows returned" message (default)

SET ECHO: toggles off/on whether commands are displayed before being executed. Default is ON but you might want to toggle it to OFF if sending your output to a script file. Here is the syntax for the code: SQL> SET ECHO [ON | OFF]; /* default is ON */ Table 21. SET ECHO arguments ARGUMENTS ON OFF DESCRIPTION Toggles on command echoing (default) Toggles off command echoing

SET NAME[s]: specifies the character set that is to be active in database transactions. Here is the syntax for the code: SQL> SET NAMES charset;

27

Isql - Interactive SQL

Table 22. SET NAMES arguments ARGUMENTS CHARSET DESCRIPTION Name of the active character set. Default: NONE

SET PLAN: specifies whether to display the optimizer's query plan. Here is the syntax for the code: SQL> SET PLAN [ ON | OFF ]; Table 23. SET PLAN arguments ARGUMENT ON OFF DESCRIPTION Turns on display of the query plan. Default. Turns off display of the query plan.

Shortcut: omit ON | OFF and use just SET PLAN as a toggle. SET PLANONLY: specifies to use the optimizer's query plan and display just the plan, without executing the actual query. (Available in Firebird 1 and higher). Here is the syntax for the code: SQL> SET PLANONLY ON | OFF; The command works as a toggle switch. The argument is optional. SET SQL DIALECT: specifies the Firebird SQL dialect to which the client session is to be changed. If the session is currently attached to a database of a different dialect to the one specified in the command, a warning is displayed. Here is the syntax for the code: SQL> SET SQL DIALECT n; Table 24. SET SQL DIALECT arguments ARGUMENT n DESCRIPTION n = 1 for Dialect 1, 2 for Dialect 2, 3 for Dialect 3

SET STATS: specifies whether to display performance statistics following the output of a query. Here is the syntax for the code: SQL> SET STATS [ ON | OFF ];

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Isql - Interactive SQL

Table 25. SET STATS arguments ARGUMENT ON DESCRIPTION Turns on display of performance statistics. Displays: Current memory available (bytes) Change in available memory (bytes) Maximum memory available (bytes) Elapsed time for the operation (seconds) CPU time for the operation (seconds) Number of cache buffers used Number of reads requested Number of writes requested Number of fetches done Turns off display of performance statistics. Default.

OFF

Shortcut: omit ON | OFF and use just SET STATS as a toggle. SET TERM: specifies the character which will be used as the command or statement terminator, from the next statement forward. Here is the syntax for the code: SQL> SET TERM string; Table 26. SET TERM arguments ARGUMENTS String DESCRIPTION Character or characters which will be used as statement terminator. Default: ;

SET TIME: specifies whether to display the time portion of a DATE value (Dialect 1 only). Here is the syntax for the code: SQL> SET TIME [ ON | OFF ]; Table 27. SET TIME arguments ARGUMENTS ON OFF DESCRIPTION Toggles on time portion display in Dialect 1 DATE value Toggles on time portion display in Dialect 1 DATE value. Default.

SET TRANSACTION: To be completed. SET WARNINGS: specifies whether warnings are to be output. A few examples for which isql issues warnings are: SQL statement that cause no effect. Pending database shutdown. API calls that may be replaced in future versions of Firebird.

29

Isql - Interactive SQL Here is the syntax for the code: SQL> SET WARNINGS [ ON | OFF ]; Table 28. SET WARNINGS arguments ARGUMENTS ON DESCRIPTIONS Toggles on display of warnings if it was toggled off, or if the session was started with the - nowarnings option. Toggles off display of warnings if it is currently toggled on.

OFF

Shorthand: SET WNG can be used as a substitute, as a simple on/off toggle. SET HEADING[S]: This allows users to disable the printing of column headers, when doing a SELECT inside isql, and having the output sent to a file, for processing at a later stage. In versions before 2.0, isql used to print all the column headers by default, and sometimes the sheer number of columns made the display in isql impractical. This has now been fixed with the SET HEADING[s] on | off toggle. Note
This switch cannot be deactivated with a command line parameter. Using SET will display the state of SET HEAD, along with other switches that can be toggled on/off in the isql shell.

SET BAIL: will toggle the state between activated and deactivated. Using SET will display the state of the switch among many others. Even if BAIL is activated, it doesn't mean it will change isql. For example isql -b -i my_fb.sql -o results.log -m -m2behavior. An additional requirement should be met: the session should be non-interactive. A non-interactive session happens when the user calls isql in batch mode, giving it a script as input. Note
If the user loads isql interactively, and later executes a script with the input command; this is considered an interactive session, even though isql knows it is executing a script.

Example:
Use CONNECT or CREATE DATABASE to specify a database SQL> set bail; SQL> input my_fb.sql; SQL> ^Z

SET SQLDA_DISPLAY ON | OFF: The SQLDA_DISPLAY command shows the input SQLDA parameters of INSERTS, UPDATES AND DELETES. It reveals information on the raw SQLVARS. A SQLVAR represents a field in XSQLDA, the main structure used by the Firebird API to talk to clients, transferring data in and out of the server. This feature has been introduced in Firebird 2.0. It was previously available only in DEBUG builds.

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Isql - Interactive SQL

Note
As of Firebird 2.0 this feature is not yet displayed by isql when you type SET; to view the settings of options.

Isql Commands
Isql commands affect the running of isql itself and do not affect the database or data in any way. These commands are used to display help, run scripts, create listings and so on. You can easily see a list of the available commands by typing the help command which will produce the following output:
SQL> help; Frontend commands: BLOBDUMP <blobid> <file> -- dump BLOB to a file BLOBVIEW <blobid> -- view BLOB in text editor EDIT [<filename>] -- edit SQL script file and execute EDIT -- edit current command buffer and execute HELP -- display this menu INput <filename> -- take input from the named SQL file OUTput [<filename>] -- write output to named file OUTput -- return output to stdout SET <option> -- (Use HELP SET for complete list) SHELL <command> -- execute Operating System command in sub-shell SHOW <object> [<name>] -- display system information <object> = CHECK, COLLATION, DATABASE, DOMAIN, EXCEPTION, FILTER, FUNCTION, GENERATOR, GRANT, INDEX, PROCEDURE, ROLE, SQL DIALECT, SYSTEM, TABLE, TRIGGER, VERSION, USERS, VIEW EXIT -- exit and commit changes QUIT -- exit and roll back changes All commands may be abbreviated to letters in CAPitals

Each of these commands will now be discussed. Note the last line of output from the help command. It explains that each of the commands may be abbreviated to just those letters displayed in capital letters. In the following discussion, the optional characters will be wrapped in square brackets. For example, the input command will be shown as in[put] to indicate that the characters 'put' are optional.

Blobdump

Blobview

Edit

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Isql - Interactive SQL

Help
The help command has been discussed above.

Input

Output

Shell

Exit

Quit

Isql Show commands

As explained in the help command, there are a number of individual show commands within isql. These are as follows:

Show Check

Show Collation

Show Database

Show Domain

Show Exception

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Isql - Interactive SQL

Show Filter

Show Function

Show Generator/Sequence

Show Grant

Show Index

Show Procedure

Show Role

Show SQL Dialect

Show System

Show Table

Show Trigger

Show Version

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Isql - Interactive SQL

Show Users

Show View

Isql Set Commands

As explained in the help command, you may enter the help set command to drill down into the various options available for the set command. These are all discussed below. Note that the output from the help set command does not include the set transaction command. The help set command produces the following output:
SQL> help set; Set commands: SET SET AUTOddl SET BAIL SET BLOB [ALL|<n>] SET BLOB SET COUNT SET ROWCOUNT [<n>] SET ECHO SET HEADING SET LIST SET NAMES <csname> SET PLAN SET PLANONLY SET SQL DIALECT <n> SET STATs SET TIME SET TERM <string> SET WIDTH <col> [<n>]

-------------------

display current SET options toggle autocommit of DDL statements toggle bailing out on errors in non-interactive mode display BLOBS of subtype <n> or ALL turn off BLOB display toggle count of selected rows on/off limit select stmt to <n> rows, zero is no limit toggle command echo on/off toggle display of query column titles toggle column or table display format set name of runtime character set toggle display of query access plan toggle display of query plan without executing set sql dialect to <n> toggle display of performance statistics toggle display of timestamp with DATE values change statement terminator string set/unset print width to <n> for column <col>

All commands may be abbreviated to letters in CAPitals

The last line of the above output indicates that these commands can be abbreviated to the letters in capitals. Unfortunately, other than the set autoddl command, none of the others appear to have a short form.

Set
The set command, with no parameters, displays the current settings, as the following example from Firebird 2.5 shows:
SQL> set; Print statistics: Echo commands: List format: List Row Count: OFF OFF OFF OFF

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Isql - Interactive SQL

Select rowcount limit: Autocommit DDL: Access Plan: Access Plan only: Display BLOB type: Column headings: Terminator: Time: Warnings: Bail on error: 0 ON OFF OFF 1 ON ; OFF ON OFF

Set Autoddl
set auto[ddl] [on | off]; This command sets whether all DDL statements executed will be automatically committed or not. The command without any parameters acts as a toggle and turns autoddl off if it is currently on and vice versa. You may supply a specific parameter to make your intentions clear. The parameter must be one of on or off. The set command, with no parameters, will display the current setting. The default in isql is equivalent to set autoddl on.

Set Bail

Set Blob

Set Count

Set Rowcount

Set Echo

Set Heading

Set List

Set List Rowcount CHECK THIS ONE!!!

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Isql - Interactive SQL

Set Names

Set Plan

Set Planonly

Set SQLDA_Display
This is a hidden command which is not mentioned in the output from the help set command.

Set SQL Dialect

Set Stats

Set Time

Set Term

Set Transaction
This is another hidden command which is not mentioned in the output from the help set command.

Set Width

Command Line Switches

Command line switches are arguments that begin with a minus/hyphen (-) character. The following table tabulates all the switches that can be employed when executing isql. 36

Isql - Interactive SQL

Table 29. ISQL COMMAND-LINE SWITCHES SWITCH -a(ll) -b(ail) -c(ache) <num> ch(arset) <charset> -d(atabase) <database> -e(cho) -ex(tract) -f(etch_password) -i(nput) <file> -m(erge) -m2 -n(noautocommit) -nod(btriggers) -now(arning) -o(utput) file -p(assword) <password> -pag(elength) <size> -q(uiet) -r(ole) <role> -r2 <role> -s(qldialect) <dialect> -t(erminator) <term> -u(ser) <user> -x -z 1.0 2.0 VERSION DESCRIPTION 1.0 1.5.3 extract meta data including legacy non-SQL tables instructs isql to bail out on error when used in non-interactive mode, and returns an error code to the operating system. number of cache buffers connection charset (set names) database name to put in script creation echoes commands to find out where a script has caused errors (set echo on) extract meta data fetch password from file input file (set input) to merge standard error merge diagnostic no autocommit DDL (set autoddl off) do not run database triggers do not show warnings to send the output to a file(set output) connection password page length do not show the message "Use CONNECT..." role name role (uses quoted identifier) SQL dialect (set sql dialect) command terminator (set term) user name extract meta data shows program and server version

Some of the switches are explained in greater depth below: Using -b(ail): 37

Isql - Interactive SQL The command line switch -b(ail) instructs the isql utility to bail on error, but only when used in a noninteractive mode. The switch returns an error code to the Operating System. This switch was added to prevent isql from executing scripts after an error has been detected. No further statements will be executed and isql will return an error code to the OS. Users still need to use the -e(cho) switch to echo commands to an output file, to isolate the exact statement that caused the error. When the server provides line and column information, users can see the exact line of the DML in the script that caused the problem. When the server only indicates failure, users can view the first line of the statement that caused the failure, in relation to the entire script. This feature is also supported in nested scripts. For example, Script A includes Script B and Script B causes a failure, the line number is related to Script B. When Script B is read completely, isql continues counting the lines related to Script A, since each file gets a separate line counter. Script A includes Script B when Script A uses the INPUT command to load Script B. Lines are counted according to what the underlying IO layer considers separate lines. For ports using EDITLINE, a line is what readline() provides in a single call. The line length limit of 32767 bytes remains uncharged. Using -ex(tract): The command line switch -ex(tract) can be used to extract meta data from the database. It can be used in conjunction with the -o(utput) switch to extract the information to a specified output file. The resultant information can be used to view all the changes made to the database since its creation. Before making any more changes, create a new database with identical schema definitions or new ones, or create a new database source file. Using -m2 and -m(erge): The command line switch m2, has been added in Firebird 2.0 and can be used to send the statistics and plans to the same output file that receives the input from the -o(utput) switch. In earlier versions of Firebird (before version 2.0), when a user specified that the output should be sent to a file, two options existed : the command line switch -o(utput) with a file name to store the output, or the command OUTput with a file name to store the output. Both these options could be employed either in a batch session or in the interactive isql shell. In both cases, simply passing the command OUTput would return the output to the console. While the console displayed error messages, these were not sent to the output file. The -m(erge) command line switch, can be used to incorporate the error messages into the output files. The -m2 command line switch ensures that the stats and plan information derived from the SET STATS, SET PLAN and SET PLANONLY commands are also sent to the output file and not just returned to the console.

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Isql - Interactive SQL

Note
Neither -m(erge) nor -m2 has an interactive counterpart through a SET command. They are for use only as command line isql options.

Using -r2 and -r(ole): This switch can be used to specify a case-sensitive role name. The default switch for this is -r(ole). Roles provided in the command line are uppercased With -r2, and passed to the engine exactly as typed in the command line. Using -o(utput): The OUTPUT switch allows users to store records of commands to a script file. The TMP setting on a client can be used to control where these script files will be stored, if an absolute file path is not specified.

Ending An Isql Session

There are two ways to exit isql. If you wish to roll back all uncommitted work and exit isql type this command at the prompt: SQL> QUIT; If you wish to commit all your work before exiting isql, then type in the following command: SQL> EXIT;

Isql's Help
Isql comes with the HELP command. This gives brief details of the commands available, and allows you to drill down for further information. To activate the help system, simply type HELP at the prompt, as shown below (from Firebird 2.5):
SQL> help; Frontend BLOBDUMP BLOBVIEW EDIT EDIT HELP INput OUTput OUTput SET SHELL SHOW commands: <blobid> <file> <blobid> [<filename>]

-----<filename> -[<filename>] --<option> -<command> -<object> [<name>] --

dump BLOB to a file view BLOB in text editor edit SQL script file and execute edit current command buffer and execute display this menu take input from the named SQL file write output to named file return output to stdout (Use HELP SET for complete list) execute Operating System command in sub-shell display system information

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Isql - Interactive SQL

<object> = CHECK, COLLATION, DATABASE, DOMAIN, EXCEPTION, FILTER, FUNCTION, GENERATOR, GRANT, INDEX, PROCEDURE, ROLE, SQL DIALECT, SYSTEM, TABLE, TRIGGER, VERSION, USERS, VIEW EXIT -- exit and commit changes QUIT -- exit and roll back changes All commands may be abbreviated to letters in CAPitals

Most of these commands have no further levels of detail, while the SET command does. To drill down into those extra levels, proceed as follows:
SQL> help set; Set commands: SET SET AUTOddl SET BAIL SET BLOB [ALL|<n>] SET BLOB SET COUNT SET ROWCOUNT [<n>] SET ECHO SET HEADING SET LIST SET NAMES <csname> SET PLAN SET PLANONLY SET SQL DIALECT <n> SET STATs SET TIME SET TERM <string> SET WIDTH <col> [<n>]

-------------------

display current SET options toggle autocommit of DDL statements toggle bailing out on errors in non-interactive mode display BLOBS of subtype <n> or ALL turn off BLOB display toggle count of selected rows on/off limit select stmt to <n> rows, zero is no limit toggle command echo on/off toggle display of query column titles toggle column or table display format set name of runtime character set toggle display of query access plan toggle display of query plan without executing set sql dialect to <n> toggle display of performance statistics toggle display of timestamp with DATE values change statement terminator string set/unset print width to <n> for column <col>

All commands may be abbreviated to letters in CAPitals

If you attempt to drill down into any other command, the effect is exactly the same as executing the HELP command on its own. Note
In the output from HELP SET, there doesn't appear to be any help on the SET TRANSACTION command.

Glossary

Glossary
Glossary
DML Data Manipulation Language. Commands that are used to create, change or delete data. 40

Isql - Interactive SQL DDL SQL Data Definition Language. Commands that create, alter or drop database objects such as views, tables etc. Structured Query Language. The language used to query the data in the database as well as the objects in the database.

41

Isql - Interactive SQL

Appendix A: Document History

The exact file history is recorded in the manual module in our CVS tree; see http://sourceforge.net/cvs/?group_ id=9028. The full URL of the CVS log for this file can be found at http://firebird.cvs.sourceforge.net/viewvc/ firebird/manual/src/docs/firebirddocs/fbutil_isql.xml?view=log Revision History 0.1 December 2006 KV 0.2 5 July 2008 PV First version by Kamala Vadlamani. Changed title to Isql - Firebird Interactive SQL Utility to bring it in line with the other manuals. Added titleabbrev and edition info. Moved Audience and Version sections into Introduction. Removed Related Documentation section. Fixed typos, interpunction (still more to do here). Replaced most emphasises and all citetitles with more appropriate tags. Gave IDs to manual and all (sub)sections. Added manual History and License Notice. Converted from a chapter in the Command Line Utilities manual to stand alone manual in its own right. Changed title to Firebird Interactive SQL Utility to bring it in line with the other utility manuals. Many other updates to bring this manual into line with the others and to incorporate Firebird 2 changes etc. General tidy up. Changes to formatting. Corrected some Docbook "misuse". Spelling & punctuation corrections. Lists compacted. Corrected <screen> overflow in pdf rendering. Etc.

0.3

20 October 2009

ND

0.4

15 February 2012

ND

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Isql - Interactive SQL

Appendix B: License Notice

The contents of this Documentation are subject to the Public Documentation License Version 1.0 (the License); you may only use this Documentation if you comply with the terms of this License. Copies of the License are available at http://www.firebirdsql.org/pdfmanual/pdl.pdf (PDF) and http://www.firebirdsql.org/manual/pdl.html (HTML). The Original Documentation is titled Firebird Interactive SQL Utility. The Initial Writer of the Original Documentation is: Kamala Vadlamani. Copyright (C) 2006. All Rights Reserved. Initial Writer contact: kamala dot vadlamani at gmail dot com. Contributor: Paul Vinkenoog - see Document history. Portions created by Paul Vinkenoog are Copyright (C) 2008. All Rights Reserved. Contributor contact: paul at vinkenoog dot nl. Contributor: Norman Dunbar - see Document history. Portions created by Norman Dunbar are Copyright (C) 2009 and 2011. All Rights Reserved. Contributor contact: NormanDunbar at users dot sourceforge dot net.

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