Privacy policy

(German-language version below)

Website privacy policy and information for those affected by Articles 13 and 14 of the EU General Data Protection Regulation

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Webseiten-Datenschutzerklärung und zugleich Information der Betroffenen gemäß Artikel 13 und Artikel 14 EU-Datenschutzgrundverordnung

Allgemeine Angaben

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Neuer Entwickler im Team?

Sie haben einen neuen Entwickler im Team, der mit einer bestehenden Firebird-Anwendung arbeitet oder künftig damit arbeiten soll?

In unserem 3-tägigen Praxistraining vermitteln wir die wichtigsten Grundlagen für den Einstieg in bestehende Firebird-/Pascal-Projekte:

• Firebird SQL und Datenbankentwicklung
• Pascal-Programmierung mit Delphi und Lazarus
• Arbeiten mit bestehenden Firebird-Anwendungen
• Praktischer Einsatz von IBExpert
• Moderne Entwicklungsworkflows einschließlich KI-Tools

16.–18. November 2026 | München

Das Training richtet sich an Entwickler, Junior Developer und Einsteiger, die praxisnah mit bestehenden Firebird-/Pascal-Anwendungen arbeiten möchten.

Alle Informationen, Agenda und Anmeldung: Firebird SQL und Pascal-Programmierung für die Next Generation

Firebird Write Operations

German-language version

Why the order of write operations is so important for Firebird

Holger Klemt, September 2026

(PDF Download)

The reliability of a Firebird database does not depend on Firebird alone. It is equally important that the underlying operating system and storage system execute and acknowledge write operations in the way the database expects.

Firebird is designed to write changes to storage in a defined and carefully coordinated order. In particular, when Forced Writes are enabled, Firebird ensures that critical changes have actually been written to persistent storage before subsequent operations are considered successfully completed.

Caches and additional storage layers

Modern operating systems, RAID controllers and storage systems attempt to optimize write operations for performance reasons. For example, write operations may be collected, combined or passed to the physical storage device in a different order.

This is generally useful and usually unproblematic for normal file access. For a database system, however, it is essential that so-called flush or synchronization requests are reliably passed through all layers down to the actual persistent storage medium.

Additional layers between Firebird and the physical storage device can therefore become critical, for example:

• Host or controller caches
• RAID and storage virtualization
• Cluster file systems
• Block-level replication
• SAN or NAS systems
• Snapshots and other virtualization layers
• Write caches that are not protected by battery backup or flash-based protection

The problem arises in particular when one of these layers reports a write operation as completed even though the data has not yet been permanently stored.

What can happen during a crash

In the event of a power failure, kernel crash or hardware failure, write operations that have already been acknowledged may therefore be lost.

This becomes particularly problematic when a later database state has already reached the storage device while related earlier changes are still waiting in a cache. This can result in information within the database file that is no longer consistent.

Firebird’s carefully designed write strategy is intended to prevent exactly these situations. However, this requires the operating system, drivers, controllers and storage system to correctly implement the corresponding synchronization requirements.

Disabling Forced Writes may therefore significantly improve write performance, but at the same time it removes an important layer of database protection.

Linux Is not automatically protected against these problems

Linux file systems such as ext4 provide mechanisms for controlling the order and durability of write operations. However, this does not automatically mean that every underlying storage configuration provides the same guarantees.

As soon as additional cluster, mirroring, RAID or virtualization layers are involved, it must be ensured that flush operations and write barriers are actually passed through to persistent storage.

For database systems, the more important question is therefore not whether Windows or Linux is being used, but whether the entire storage stack reliably provides the guarantees required by the database system.

A real-world example

Several years ago, a serious failure occurred in a business-critical Firebird environment managed by us. The database was hosted on an externally implemented Linux cluster and storage solution.

Following an error, not only the production database but also the copy created at storage level was affected. Restoring the system required extensive analysis and repair work.

The architecture was subsequently changed. Since then, redundancy has no longer been provided through transparent mirroring of an open database file, but through replication at the Firebird database level to independent server systems. This architecture has been operating reliably in that environment for many years.

Redundancy should ideally be implemented at database level

For Firebird systems, we therefore prefer storage architectures that are as simple and transparent as possible.

Where possible, redundancy and high availability should be implemented in such a way that two independently operating Firebird servers each maintain their own local database file, with synchronization being controlled at the database level.

This approach offers several advantages:

• Each Firebird server controls its own database file.
• Storage problems affecting one system are not automatically transferred to the second database file.
• The number of additional caching and virtualization layers is reduced.
• Problems are easier to analyze and isolate.
• Firebird's write mechanisms, which are essential for data integrity, remain intact.

Security and performance are not mutually exclusive

Strictly maintaining the required order of write operations inevitably introduces a certain amount of latency. In applications with very intensive write activity, this latency can be clearly measurable.

However, this additional latency is not unnecessary performance loss. It is an essential component of transaction safety.

When optimizing a Firebird server, the goal should therefore not be to circumvent these safety mechanisms. A better approach is to design the hardware and storage architecture in such a way that synchronous write operations can be completed as quickly as possible.

A fast database requires fast storage. A reliable database, however, requires storage whose claims regarding successfully stored data actually hold true.

Training

(German-language version below)

3-day practical training course

Firebird SQL and Pascal programming for the next generation

From basic developer knowledge to productive involvement in real-world Delphi, Lazarus, Firebird and IBExpert projects.

 - 16 -18 November 2026 – Munich – 3 days, 9.00 am–5.00 pm – German language - 

This 3-day hands-on training course can also be booked as a remote or on-site in-house training course.

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The focus of this course

Practical knowledge for getting started with established software projects

Basic programming skills are often not enough to start working productively on an existing enterprise application straight away. Project files, units, forms, components, packages, events, database access and SQL objects must be understood as an integrated system. This training course provides precisely this orientation and practical knowledge. Participants will build a small application using Lazarus, create the associated Firebird database and programme the connection between the two using IBExpert.

“The best programming language at the moment is German.” It is crucial to formulate requirements in full and to carry out a technical review of the results produced.

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Target group

For the next generation of developers

Not a retrospective look at old development environments, but a practical introduction for people who will be working productively on existing systems in the future. No practical experience with Delphi, Lazarus, Firebird or IBExpert is required.

Suitable for Apprentices, students and those starting their careers with basic programming skills People changing careers who will be working on Delphi, Lazarus or Firebird projects in future Junior developers with no practical experience of larger, established applications Companies wishing to integrate junior staff into existing projects more quickly and in a more structured manner

Recommended Requirements A basic understanding of variables, conditions, loops and simple programme flows Bringing your own Windows laptop is recommended; detailed software requirements will be provided prior to the course A willingness not only to generate source code and SQL, but also to read and check it systematically

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Course objectives

What participants should be able to accomplish after three days

find their way around an existing Delphi or Lazarus project read and write basic Object Pascal code build a simple graphical or console-based application understand the structure of a Firebird database create and analyse SQL and PSQL code using IBExpert connect a Lazarus application to a Firebird database take on small, clearly defined tasks within an existing project critically review AI-generated code and reuse it appropriately

Benefits for employers faster induction of new staff into existing projects a shared basic understanding of the application, database and development tools less uncontrolled copy-and-paste code from AI systems better modularity and more clearly defined tasks for junior developers practical preparation for real-world maintenance, extension and analysis tasks

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Key information

The event at a glance

Understanding the Pascal world
Project structure, language, components, events and launching your own Lazarus application.

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Accelerating progress without relinquishing control

ChatGPT, Codex and similar tools can explain source code, prepare routines, generate SQL, develop test cases and assist with debugging. However, they are no substitute for technical understanding or systematic testing. This training course therefore not only demonstrates how AI is used, but above all how requirements are formulated, results are broken down, compiled, tested and examined for unintended side effects.

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After the Course

Participants will be able to contribute practically rather than just knowing the basics

• Identify the most important project components
• Understand the basic program flow
• Make simple changes to forms and units
• Read and create SQL queries
• Examine database objects using IBExpert
• Implement small functions on your own
• Systematically narrow down errors
• Work on clearly defined tasks with the support of AI
• Critically test the generated results
• Contribute effectively to an experienced development team

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Interested in the course?

Training Course: Firebird SQL and Pascal Programming for the Next Generation
Date: November 16 -18, 2026, 9.00 am–5.00 pm
Price per participant: 1,490.00 EUR (plus VAT)
For the second and subsequent participants billed to the same invoice recipient: 1,290.00 EUR per participant (plus VAT)
Venue: TBK Patent Attorneys, Bavariaring 4–6, 80336 Munich, Germany
Contact and registration via email: register@ibexpert.net

This 3-day hands-on training course can also be booked as a remote or on-site in-house training session, in which we will use your existing software and database as a basis.

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(English-language version above)

3-tägige Praxisschulung

Firebird SQL und Pascalprogrammierung für die Next Generation

Vom grundlegenden Entwicklerwissen zur produktiven Mitarbeit in realen Delphi-, Lazarus-, Firebird- und IBExpert-Projekten.

 - 16.-18. November 2026 - München - 3 Tage 9.00-17.00 Uhr - Deutsch - 

Diese 3-tägige Praxisschulung kann auch als Remote- oder Onsite-Firmenschulung gebucht werden.

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Worum es geht

Praxiswissen für den Einstieg in gewachsene Softwareprojekte

Grundlegende Programmierkenntnisse reichen oft nicht aus, um in einer bestehenden Unternehmensanwendung sofort produktiv mitzuarbeiten. Projektdateien, Units, Formulare, Komponenten, Packages, Ereignisse, Datenbankzugriffe und SQL-Objekte müssen als zusammenhängendes System verstanden werden. Diese Schulung vermittelt genau dieses Orientierungs- und Praxiswissen. Die Teilnehmer bauen mit Lazarus eine kleine Anwendung auf, erstellen die zugehörige Firebird-Datenbank und programmieren die Verbindung zwischen beiden Welten mit Unterstützung von IBExpert.

„Die beste Programmiersprache ist aktuell Deutsch.“ Entscheidend ist, Anforderungen vollständig zu formulieren und die erzeugten Ergebnisse fachlich zu prüfen.

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Zielgruppe

Für die nächste Entwicklergeneration

Nicht als Rückblick auf alte Entwicklungswelten, sondern als praxisnaher Einstieg für Menschen, die künftig produktiv an bestehenden Systemen mitarbeiten sollen. Keine praktische Erfahrung mit Delphi, Lazarus, Firebird oder IBExpert erforderlich.

Geeignet für Auszubildende, Studierende und Berufseinsteiger mit grundlegenden Programmierkenntnissen Quereinsteiger, die künftig an Delphi-, Lazarus- oder Firebird-Projekten mitarbeiten sollen Junior-Entwickler ohne praktische Erfahrung in größeren, gewachsenen Anwendungen Unternehmen, die Nachwuchskräfte schneller und strukturierter in bestehende Projekte einarbeiten möchten

Empfohlene Voraussetzungen Grundverständnis für Variablen, Bedingungen, Schleifen und einfache Programmabläufe eigener Windows-Notebook-PC empfohlen; genaue Software-Vorbereitung folgt vor der Schulung Bereitschaft, Quellcode und SQL nicht nur zu erzeugen, sondern systematisch zu lesen und zu prüfen

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Lernziele

Was die Teilnehmer nach drei Tagen können sollen

sich in einem bestehenden Delphi- oder Lazarus-Projekt orientieren grundlegenden Object-Pascal-Code lesen und selbst erstellen eine einfache grafische oder konsolenbasierte Anwendung aufbauen die Struktur einer Firebird-Datenbank verstehen SQL- und PSQL-Code mit IBExpert erstellen und analysieren eine Lazarus-Anwendung mit einer Firebird-Datenbank verbinden kleinere, klar abgegrenzte Aufgaben in einem bestehenden Projekt übernehmen KI-generierten Code kritisch prüfen und sinnvoll weiterverwenden

Nutzen für Arbeitgeber schnellere Orientierung neuer Mitarbeiter in bestehenden Projekten ein gemeinsames Grundverständnis für Anwendung, Datenbank und Entwicklungswerkzeuge weniger unkontrollierter Copy-and-paste-Code aus KI-Systemen  bessere Modularität und klarer abgegrenzte Aufgaben für Junior-Entwickler praxisnahe Vorbereitung auf reale Wartungs-, Erweiterungs- und Analyseaufgaben

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Rahmendaten

Die Veranstaltung auf einen Blick

Tag 1
Die Pascal-Welt verstehen
Projektaufbau, Sprache, Komponenten, Ereignisse und der Start einer eigenen Lazarus-Anwendung.

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Beschleunigen, ohne die Kontrolle abzugeben

ChatGPT, Codex und ähnliche Werkzeuge können Quellcode erklären, Routinen vorbereiten, SQL erzeugen, Testfälle entwickeln und bei der Fehlersuche helfen. Sie ersetzen jedoch weder fachliches Verständnis noch systematische Prüfung.Die Schulung zeigt deshalb nicht nur, wie KI eingesetzt wird, sondern vor allem, wie Anforderungen formuliert, Ergebnisse zerlegt, kompiliert, getestet und auf unbeabsichtigte Nebenwirkungen untersucht werden.

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Nach der Schulung

Praxisfähig mitarbeiten statt nur Grundlagen kennen

• die wichtigsten Projektbestandteile identifizieren
• den grundsätzlichen Programmablauf nachvollziehen
• einfache Änderungen an Formularen und Units durchführen
• SQL-Abfragen lesen und erstellen
• Datenbankobjekte mit IBExpert untersuchen
• kleine Funktionen selbst implementieren
• Fehler systematisch eingrenzen
• klar definierte Aufgaben mit Unterstützung einer KI bearbeiten
• die erzeugten Ergebnisse kritisch testen
• sinnvoll in einem erfahrenen Entwicklungsteam mitarbeiten

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Interesse an der Schulung?

Schulung: Firebird SQL und Pascalprogrammierung für die Next Generation
Zeitraum: 16.-18. November 2026, 9.00 - 17.00 Uhr
Preis pro Teilnehmer: Preis pro Teilnehmer: 1.490,00 EUR (zzgl. MwSt.)
Ab dem 2. Teilnehmer bei demselben Rechnungsempfänger: 1.290,00 EUR pro Teilnehmer (zzgl. MwSt.)

Veranstaltungsort: TBK Patentanwälte, Bavariaring 4-6, 80336 München
Kontakt und Anmeldung per E-Mail: register@ibexpert.net

Diese 3-tägige Praxisschulung kann auch als Remote- oder Onsite-Firmenschulung, in der wir dann Ihre schon existierende Software und Datenbank als Basis nehmen, gebucht werden.

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From UDF to UDR in Firebird 5

Soundex, Cologne Phonetics, PSQL, Free Pascal and Visual C++ in a practical benchmark

IBExpert Ltd - Technical White Paper

Executive Summary

Firebird applications have been able to extend the database engine with external functions for many years. Older installations commonly used UDFs (User Defined Functions). Modern Firebird versions provide UDRs (User Defined Routines), a substantially better integrated architecture.

This white paper follows the transition from UDF to UDR through a practical example: phonetic name matching using Soundex, a German-adapted Soundex variant, Cologne Phonetics, and distance and similarity functions. The same functionality was implemented as Firebird PSQL stored functions, a native Lazarus/Free Pascal UDR, and a native Microsoft Visual C++ 2022 UDR.

The most surprising finding was that programming language was not the dominant performance factor. Once Free Pascal and C++ used a comparable low-level strategy, optimized FPC was typically only about 10 to 25 percent behind Visual C++.

1. From UDF to UDR

UDFs were a proven way to move calculations into external DLLs or shared libraries across many Firebird generations. The old UDF interface, however, belongs to an earlier generation of API design.

UDRs are the modern successor. SQL still calls native code, but integration uses Firebird's modern plugin and object-oriented API, with cleaner handling of data types, NULL values, metadata, character sets and routine lifecycle. For new Firebird 5 extensions, UDR should therefore be regarded as the natural replacement for classic UDFs.

2. Alternative: PSQL stored functions

Many algorithms can be implemented entirely as Firebird PSQL stored functions. This greatly simplifies deployment: no extra DLL, no Linux shared library and no platform-specific binary.

PSQL is particularly attractive when easy installation, backup/restore and platform independence matter more than maximum computational throughput. The real question is not whether PSQL can solve the problem, but whether it is fast enough for the expected call volume.

3. Why phonetic name matching?

Exact string comparisons are often insufficient for names. Klemt, Klemmt, Klempt and Klemp are technically four different strings, but may all be relevant when searching for the same person.

Phonetic algorithms map names to codes that reflect pronunciation more than exact spelling, making typing errors, historical spellings and variants easier to detect.

4. Soundex

Soundex normally creates a short code consisting of an initial letter and digits representing similar consonant groups. It is simple and fast, but was primarily designed for English names.

Our project therefore implemented SOUNDEX and SOUNDEX_DE. The German variant additionally normalizes forms such as Ä/AE, Ö/OE, Ü/UE, ß/SS and common letter combinations.

5. Cologne Phonetics

Cologne Phonetics is often more appropriate for German names. It uses context-sensitive rules and produces a variable-length digit sequence.

Klemt → 4562, Klemmt → 4562, Klempt → 45612, Klemp → 4561. Klemt and Klemmt become phonetically identical, while the other variants remain very close.

6. Distance and similarity

COLOGNE_DISTANCE first calculates Cologne Phonetics for both names and then the Levenshtein distance between the codes. A distance of 0 means identical; 1 means one insertion, deletion or replacement is required.

PHONETIC_SIMILARITY converts this into an easier-to-use value from 0 to 100. In our example Klemt/Klemmt returns 100, Klemt/Klempt 80 and Klemt/Klemp 75.

7. Three implementations, identical results

The five functions SOUNDEX, SOUNDEX_DE, COLOGNE_PHONETIC, COLOGNE_DISTANCE and PHONETIC_SIMILARITY were implemented in PSQL, as a Lazarus/FPC UDR, and as a Visual C++ UDR.

Before performance testing, 10,000 test rows were checked. The final versions produced zero mismatches for all five functions. Identical checksums also confirmed that the implementations processed the same results.

8. PSQL versus native UDR

PSQL proved surprisingly practical for the simpler phonetic functions. As computational work increases, the native UDR advantage becomes much larger, especially for distance and similarity calculations.

The absolute values come from different benchmark forms and should not be interpreted as a pure microbenchmark ratio. The important point is that PSQL is functional and quite capable for simpler tasks, while native UDRs scale much better as procedural computation increases.

9. The first C++ versus Pascal comparison

The first FPC version used convenient UnicodeString processing, UnicodeUpperCase and general string operations. The C++ implementation worked largely on UTF-8 bytes directly. C++ therefore initially appeared four to five times faster in some tests.

This was not a fair compiler-only comparison: the implementations were doing different amounts of internal work.

10. Making the comparison fair

The FPC version was rewritten to use the same low-level strategy: UTF-8 remains byte-oriented in the hot path, German special characters are normalized using their UTF-8 sequences, ASCII uppercasing is performed directly, temporary string operations are reduced, and Cologne/Levenshtein use compact buffers.

The SQL interface and results remained unchanged.

11. Optimization effect in Free Pascal

Most of the performance gain was therefore achieved without changing programming language.

12. Optimized FPC versus Visual C++

With comparable implementations, the gap fell from an apparent factor of four or five to typically about 10 to 25 percent.

13. Why Lazarus needs essentially only Firebird.pas

The Object Pascal binding is compact from the developer's perspective. Firebird.pas bundles the important interfaces and type declarations into a Pascal unit, keeping a small Lazarus UDR project easy to understand and familiar to Delphi/Lazarus developers.

14. Why Visual Studio needs more headers

The C++ UDR uses Firebird's C++ helper infrastructure, including UdrCppEngine.h, Message.h, Interface.h, ibase.h and additional include files and preprocessor helpers.

These are mainly compile-time dependencies. The finished DLL does not simply require all those headers at runtime. Pascal packages many declarations into one unit, while C++ distributes the API across headers, templates and macros.

15. Windows and Linux

PSQL is platform-neutral inside the database. Native UDRs must be built for the target platform, typically a DLL on Windows and a shared library on Linux. The SQL contract can remain the same, but the binary must match the operating system, architecture and Firebird server.

16. Practical decision

For moderate call volumes and maximum simplicity, PSQL is attractive. For high call volumes or computationally intensive algorithms, a native UDR provides substantial headroom.

Where Delphi/Lazarus/FPC expertise already exists, our measurements provide no reason to switch to C++ solely out of performance concerns. C++ remains an excellent choice where the relevant expertise and build infrastructure already exist.

17. The most important lesson

The project started with a question: how should classic Firebird UDF functionality be modernized for Firebird 5? This led to a comparison of UDR and PSQL, and eventually to a direct test of Free Pascal and Visual C++.

The most important result is not one millisecond figure. Architecture, algorithm and data representation often dominate language choice. Our first Pascal implementation was correct but used convenient general Unicode abstractions. The C++ version worked closer to the bytes actually required and was initially dramatically faster. Once the same principles were applied to Free Pascal, most of the difference disappeared.

For developers with many years of Delphi or Free Pascal experience, this is a notable result: well-written Pascal remains highly competitive native code. Visual C++ was still somewhat faster in our test, but the remaining gap was closer to roughly 10 to 25 percent than to a factor of four or five.

Firebird PSQL was also a positive surprise. Not every function justifies a native library. Simple phonetic functions can offer an attractive balance of performance, maintainability and effortless deployment as stored functions. Native UDRs become particularly valuable when high call volumes and more complex calculations occur together.

The practical conclusion is therefore: choose the right algorithm and data representation first, then choose the deployment strategy, and only after that treat the programming language itself as a performance factor.

18. Demo projects and reproducibility

The complete source code is intentionally not reproduced in this white paper, keeping the document readable for managers and users as well as developers.

Demo projects for Firebird PSQL, Lazarus/Free Pascal and Visual Studio/C++ can be provided on request. Benchmark values are snapshots of a specific environment: hardware, Firebird version, compiler options, data distribution, cache state and server load can all affect absolute timings. Reproducible test data, identical results and repeated runs matter more than a single best time.

Training: Firebird SQL und Pascalprogrammierung für die Next Generation

(English language version here)

16.-18. November 2026 9.00-17.00 Uhr in München

Drei intensive Schulungstage für die nächste Entwicklergeneration: Die Teilnehmer lernen, wie Pascal-Projekte mit Delphi und Lazarus aufgebaut sind, wie Firebird-Datenbanken funktionieren und wie beides in IBExpert professionell zusammengeführt wird.

Im Mittelpunkt stehen nicht theoretische Sprachdetails, sondern das Wissen, das junge Entwickler benötigen, um in bestehenden Unternehmensprojekten produktiv mitarbeiten zu können - einschließlich des sinnvollen und verantwortungsbewussten Einsatzes von KI-Werkzeugen wie ChatGPT und Codex.

Weitere Information: https://ibexpert.net/cms/training#German
Anmeldung an register@ibexpert.net

Diese 3-tägige Praxisschulung kann auch als Remote- oder Onsite-Firmenschulung, in der wir dann Ihre schon existierende Software und Datenbank als Basis nehmen, gebucht werden.