Creating a Database

After you log on to a security file, you can create a new database. This section is intended to help you make a quick start, but it does not contain all the information that you must create a database intended for operational use.

What is in the database file?

Every iBase database contains several types of information, such as:
Type Description
Database management information This includes information on statistics and access control to the database. The statistics are held within the database. The separate security file allows you to make access control unique to one database or consistent across several databases.
Entities and links iBase stores data that is organized as entity and link types; link types define the relationship between entities. Fields are the basic building blocks of the data, and their types vary in complexity.
Note: Each entity and link type has a separate table in the database. Entities and links are stored as records in those tables.
Folder objects These are objects that support the use of the database, such as browse definitions, labeling schemes, sets, and queries. These objects are displayed as folders within the tree view of the Database Explorer window (in iBase only, not in iBase Designer).
Datasheets iBase provides standard dialogs for creating, viewing, and editing records. Optionally, you can define additional dialogs that are more suited to the data that the users work on. These are called datasheets and they can be used to supplement or replace the standard dialogs.

Options for creating a database

This section describes how to create an empty database without any entity types, link types, folder objects, or datasheets.

However, there are various options for creating an iBase database. You can:
  • Create an empty database and then define the entity and link types without reference to any existing databases.
  • Create a database that copies the design of another database. The design is defined by a template.

    Some templates are provided and you can define, save, and reuse your own. (You might also be able to obtain templates from your supplier or collaborating organizations.)

  • Create a basic database by one of the methods discussed and then copy definitions for fields, entity types, and link types from other existing databases.

Starting a suitable session

Before you can create a database, you need to log on to a security file as a user with the right to create databases. The default system administration user, SYSADMIN (with password SYSADMIN) has these rights. See Logging On to a Security File for details.

Take care to select the correct security file as all access to the new database will be controlled by users logging on to the security file that you select at this stage.

When you have logged on, the iBase dialog is displayed. You are now ready to create a new database.

Creating a database

To create an example database:
  1. In the iBase dialog, select Create New Database and click OK. The Configuration page of the Create New Database dialog is displayed.
  2. In the Name box, enter a name. The name must be suitable for use as a file name. A simple choice is Example, possibly adding the initial letters of your name if you are creating the database in a shared folder.
  3. In the Database Type drop-down list, select MS Access.

    Choosing MS Access simplifies the initial setup of a database. However, you could create an SQL Server database. For an SQL Server database, you must specify how to connect to the machine running the database server. If you know these details, you can choose to create an SQL Server database now. If you do not know these details, create an MS Access database and then convert (upsize) it to SQL Server later.

Regardless of the type of database, as a minimum, you should make the settings described in the following steps.
  1. Click the Details tab to display the Details page.
  2. In the Title box, type iBase Example Database.
  3. In the Description box, enter, for example, Demonstrates iBase features. Users will see this text each time they open the database.
  4. Click OK to close the dialog and create an empty database with the name you have entered.
Note: The remaining pages of the dialog are for specifying a template on which to base the new database, and for defining additional properties of the database.

About the database file and folder

iBase Designer creates a database file with extension .idb in the folder containing the security file you logged into before creating the database.
  • For Microsoft Access databases, this file is the actual database.
  • For SQL Server databases, this file is a connection file to the actual database which is managed by the server. A connection file contains a small amount of administrative information; all data is held on the server and managed by SQL Server.
The configuration options for security files and databases are described in Configuration Options for an iBase System.

About the database properties

For any open database, in iBase you can view the properties by displaying the Database Properties dialog. In iBase Designer, you can change the Title, Description, and the settings displayed on the Advanced page. See Summary of the Database Properties for details.