Dear Helen,

> I told you *exactly* how to do (2) in the posting that you just

replied to.

Your posts are always so clear, so I was sure you did. Hence the
greater mystery to me that I didn't "get" it.

> No, you are totally lost here.

My struggle with it had led me to the same conclusion. :(

[snip of much info about DDL, DML, DSQL, ESQL, IB_SQL, etc.]

> Get your head around the task first. You've chosen to use this

rather

> awkward method of reading your text records into a record structure.

Not a good choice--I knew I wasn't on the right track when I saw
the execution times for the straight-INSERT and UPDATE method I used
initially.

> IB/Fb have a far better way to read text records than this old-

fashioned

> stone-age record approach - the external virtual table - known in

our

> jargon as "external files". If you can get your input file into a
> fixed-length format, you can just open it as a table and read the

fields as

> column values. Then you can use the TIB_Datapump and do this thing

by magic.

Just the information I needed! Thanks!

> Seriously, the reference you *really* need at the moment is the

Language

> Reference. You can't do IB/Fb without knowing SQL, specifically

the

> various flavours of IB's and Firebird's SQL statements. Once you
> understand how that works, you'll understand how to use data access
> components.

Got it. Not sure I'll print out all 285 pages, but at least I
have it in pdf format.

> This list specialises in using IB Objects components with Delphi to

write

> client applications. By nature, it assumes you know all the SQL

statements

> and what they are for...and, conversely, what statements you need

to use

> for the tasks you want to do. For help with SQL and designing and

creating

> database objects, use the firebird-support list and the various

doccos

> relating to Firebird and IB.

Thanks for the suggestion. I opened the first of this series of
posts with the statement "This is more along the lines of a 'SQL for
Dummies' question, but since I'm evaluting Firebird and IBObjects,
well, here goes..."
Had someone suggested that my question(s) would be better dealt
with in the Fb list, I would have posted there. Nonetheless, here we
are talking about an IBO component, the Datapump, as my best
solution, so I'm glad I'm here (not that the TIB_Datapump couldn't
have been mentioned in the Fb list).

> Helen
> p.s. this is the last ad hoc manual I plan to write today. I'm

trying to finish a book. :-|

And I hope my difficulties demonstrate the need for your eagerly
awaited book, and provide you with enhanced motivation/energy to
complete it, even as you type in chapter summaries in response to
posts from new Fb and c/s users.

Many thanks,
-- Stan