isql - Firebird Interactive SQL shell

isql [ -a ] [ -cache bufnum ] [ -database database ] [ -echo ] [ -input infile ] [ -noautocommit ] [ -nowarnings ] [ -output outfile ] [ -password password ] [ -page pagelen ] [ -role role ] [ -s sqldialect ] [ -terminator lineterm ] [ -user user ] [ -x ] [ -z ]

This manual page documents briefly the isql command.

This manual page was written for the Debian distribution because the original program does not have a (free) manual page. Instead, it has non-free documentation you can get from InterBase (Borland) or FireBird project sites; see at the end of the document.

isql is a program that allows the user to issue arbitrary SQL commands to a Firebird database as well as exctacting the metadata.

isql in Debian is available under isql-fb name due to filename conflict with binary from other package. If for some reason it is needed to have it under original name it is possible to add /usr/lib/firebird/bin at the beginning of PATH variable which should solve eventual problem.

isql can handle various command line options. Most options can be abbreviated. Below are given the shortest abbreviations as well as the full versions. A summary of options follows.

-a

Extract DDL statements necessary to re-create database's metadata. The CREATE DATABASE statement is surrounded by C-style comment. Statements are printed to standard output unless redirection is used. See -output. See -x.

-c[ache] buffers

Specify default number of cache buffers to be used in connections.

-d[atabase] database

Used together with -x. Specifies target database name when extracting. See -x.

-e[cho]

Display each statement before executing it.

-x|-ex[tract]

Extracts DDL statements to recreate database metadata. The only difference with -a is that -extract behaves differently if -d is also specified.

If no -d is specified, -x behaves exactly as -a. If -d is specified, the CREATE DATABASE statement is uncommented, replacing database name with database.

-i[nput] infile

Reads commands from infile instead of standard input. Exits with commit after the last command.

-m[erge_stderr]

Merges standard error to standard output. Usefull for redirecting both streams.

-n[oautocommit]

Normally, all DDL statements like CREATE TABLE are automatically commited in a separate transaction. This option disables the automatic commit of DDL statements.

-nowarnings

Disables displaying of SQL warnings.

-o[utput] outfile

All output is redirected to the given outfile.

-page[length] n

Prints column headers every n output lines. Default is 20.

-pas[sword] password

Uses given password as a default for connecting to the database.

-r[ole] sqlrole

Uses given sqlrole as a default for connecting to the database.

-s[qldialect] sqldialect

Uses given sqldialect as a default for connecting to the database.

-t[erminator] lineterm

Set command line terminator. Default is semicolon (`;').

-u[ser] username

Uses given username as a default for connecting to the database.

-z

Show version string before doing anything else.

gbak(1), gdef(1), gfix(1), gpre(1), gsec(1), gstat(1), qli(1).

Additional documentation about isql and other Firebird parts can be found on the Firebird Project website.

For more information about Firebird project, visit http://www.firebirdsql.org/.

This manual page was written by Damyan Ivanov (dam@vip.bg) for the Debian system (but may be used by others). Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts and no Back-Cover Texts.