> Hi everyone,
>
> I use an external file for quickly importing large amounts of data.
> The application periodically checks to see if new files are present
> in an import directory.
>
> If it finds any file(s) present, it rewrites them as the external
> file used by Firebird. It then calls a stored procedure which imports
> the file into a table in the database.
>
> Up until here, it works very well.
>
> My problem happens when the application checks for a second time, and
> finds a file present. Firebird maintains a lock on the external file,
> so I cannot write to it.
>
> How can I release this lock?
>
> The application is written in Delphi 5. It runs on Windows XP, 2000,
> and 9x. We are using Interbase 6.x or Firebird 1.5 (depends on the
> installation).
>
> If I re - start the server, the lock is released. Can I release the
> lock without having to restart the server?
>
> If so, how?
>
> Thanks
>
> Tim

been a few years since I did this - don't you have to drop the table and
re-crete it?
Alan