--- In firebird-support@yahoogroups.com, "al79cr" <al79cr@y...> wrote:

>
>
> Can Firebird be used for a documental management system? Can

firebird

> store pdfs or Microsoft Word or Excel files?
>

Yes

There are two ways these systems can work. They either embed the file
in a BLOB field or store the file normally and maintain the paths in
the table. Depending on your needs, you have to decide on how you
want to do it.

Embedding the files in a blob

Pros:

All the data together
Don't have to worry about someone moving the folders around and
breaking the links on you.

Cons:

Backup will take a lot longer, and (at the moment) incremental
backups wont be an option.
If you do not manage your transactions, MGA may leave you with a
database many times (even 100's of times) larger than the raw data.
You will need to select the segment size a bit scientifically so you
don't waste database pages.

Obviously these pros and cons are reversed when considering the pros
and cons of not storing data in a blob.

---

Most connection components in most languages will provide a
relatively simple way to insert and update the BLOB data.

Adam