[DUG] Firebird V2 BDE Windows 7

[John Bird]

I got a solution for this problem after much experimentation:

I checked carefully the BDE setup as from Delphi 5, and the BDE as installed by Delphi 2007/XE2. The later install was missing the Firebird/interbase driver, so I downloaded the ODBC driver (its readily available) and installed it.  However it does not work, so I compared with the older BDE which has the same version number but is not exactly the same - it has a native Interbase driver built in (INTRBASE) so I installed the older BDE and hey presto that was the final missing link.

Under Windows 7 the Setup has to run as Administrator as well.

Maybe under XE2 Professional the native Interbase/Firebird driver is omitted from the BDE?   That may be the case because I see its present in the XE2 Enterprise BDE.   Seems a bit scummy and petty to take it out of a component that hasn’t otherwise been modified for 12 years!

The reason for sticking with BDE is that yes its a bother to set up on the client PCs but thats a once off pain and OK if you have a good install.  The program uses the TQuery component very widely,  which has the nice feature of being able to do updates as well with specified fields – the effort to change to other update mechanisms right though the code is more than the bother of using the BDE.

Personally I rather like the BDE type of operation,  simple and reliable and compares well to ADOQuery and IBQuery.   What do others think?

John Bird
 
Hi John

 

At  http://www.firebirdsql.org/manual/ufb-cs-appdev.html I read 
The Borland Database Engine (BDE) 
Borland markets “enterprise versions” of a number of integrated development tools – Delphi, Kylix, C++Builder, JBuilder and some older products – which can use the proprietary Borland Database Engine and native SQL Links InterBase drivers as a “black box” middleware layer to make InterBase and, latterly, Firebird databases behave like desktop databases. BDE version 5.2 and its associated InterBase driver, which first shipped with Delphi 6E, supports both Firebird and InterBase version 6, although it has known bugs affecting the Dialect 3 date and time data types. 

I used the BDE extensively once and would run a long way to avoid it now. I converted one largish BDE app to FB2.5 +IBObjects. No significant problems. So much for a grizzle. You may have compelling reasons to hang with the BDE.  Perhaps a replacement from 5.01 to 5.2 would help? 

 

There is a download link here for BDE 5.2. http://www.stockblocks.com/support/bde/ (I have not tried the link).

 

Best regards,

Russell

 

From: delphi-bounces at listserver.123.net.nz [mailto:delphi-bounces at listserver.123.net.nz] On Behalf Of John Bird
Sent: Wednesday, 13 June 2012 9:59 p.m.
To: NZ Borland Developers Group - Delphi List
Subject: [DUG] Firebird V2 BDE Windows 7

 

I am getting a legacy program that uses both BDE and TIB connections to a Firebird V2 database working on Windows 7.

 

Have installed BDE (the old version – V5.01) OK – the trick is to install as Administrator

 

Have installed Firebird server and the database.

 

Can connect to it using EMS SQL Manager and Flamerobin just fine and browse the tables and run SQL etc. – ie the Database file and server all look fine.

 

the programs TIBQuery connection also seems to be working OK.

 

However I cannot connect to it using BDE – it looks like the problem is the driver.   I installed the Firebird/Interbase ODBC driver, but it may be that the original XP PCs  using an Intersolv native INTRBASE driver, for which I don’t have an install, or an install of the BDE that once included an INTRBASE driver that I don’t have in my fresh BDE install.

 

Anyone have suggestions how to get the BDE connection working?

 

John Bird



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