Edwin,

> Second Firebird/Interbase create a file lock on the external table

file

> once the SQL statement used to create the external table is committed.

If

> you attempt to delete this file after the "Bulk" insert statement it

will

> fail.
> Even if you delete the external table from the metadata, the file lock

is

> not released. I have found that only stopping the service itself will
> release the lock. This effectively prevents you from using one

external

> table "BOBS_EXTERNAL_TABLE" and then just changing the file it links

to.

This was of all Interbase releases (v6.0 and prior -- can't speak to
6.5+) but Firebird v1.0.0 changed the logic.

Now, all file locks are released when the external table is dropped and
the metadata changes are committed.


Sean