> i am considering using Firebird for a smart client application. i

have

> a couple of questions:
>
> 1. would it be possible to include a Firebird database install

within

> the installation package for my main smart client application? i

would

> need the Firebird database to silently install onto the local

user's

> computer, with the minimum of fuss, so that my smart client
> application can use it as a local data source.
>

The standard install will want to install a service, which requires
the user to be Power user at least. You would then have the fuss of
creating your own exceptions in the firewall to allow it to listen,
but yes a -silent option is available in the installer.

A better approach would be to use the embedded engine, which runs in
your application space, which is just a matter of a couple of files
in the right relative location to your binary.

Do not use embedded in your development environment, but Superserver
as this makes debugging easier, but for release, substitute the
embedded engine for the client library.

> 2. once the firebird database is installed at the client end, i

would

> probably need to release update patches every now and again to

alter

> the database structure. how easy is it with Firebird to make
> alterations to a client's database using scripting, without

corrupting

> the data?

Most ddl comands are available, but you want to ensure that your
application has disconnected from the database before running so you
do not get 'object in use' type errors. There is always the risk of
corrupting or just plain losing data during ddl, so it would be
highly recommended to backup and confirm that backup restores
correctly before running your upgrade script.

Adam