file extension ABS

Absolute Database

is an Absolute Database BDE alternative for Delphi and C++ Builder.
This Delphi database engine is the compact, high-speed, robust and easy-to-use database engine.

Features:

• No BDE, no DLLs
• No special installation or configuration required
• Database engine compiles right into EXE
• Single-file database format
• Database file could be merged with the application EXE file

High Speed

• Advanced cache management and buffering architecture
• Sophisticated SQL query and filter optimizer
• Special optimized database engine for temporary results of SQL queries
• Fast B*-Tree indexes with high-speed on thousands and on millions of records
• Buffered transactions for batch inserts, updates and deletes
• In-memory tables for fast operations with data loaded into memory
• Optimization for read-only databases, such as databases on CD
• High-concurrency design for multi-threaded applications
• Ultra-fast in-memory tables

Multi-User

• Zero-admin file-server
• Automatic record and table locking
• Automatic detection of changes made by other users
• Configurable limit of concurrent connections
• Easy switching between single-user and multi-user mode
• Full transactions support with ReadCommited isolation level

SQL Support

• SELECT with DISTINCT, INNER LEFT, RIGHT, FULL and OUTER JOIN, GROUP BY and ORDER BY clauses
• CREATE TABLE, DROP TABLE, ALTER TABLE statements
• CREATE INDEX, DROP INDEX statements
• INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE statements
• BETWEEN, IN, LIKE, IS NULL, EXISTS operators
• Aggregate functions COUNT,SUM,MIN,MAX,AVG
• Most of all SQL'92 arithmetic, logical, date-time and string functions and operators
• Data types conversion by function CAST
• SQL scripts (multiple statements separated by ';')
• Parameters in queries
• SELECT from several databases in one query
• Correlated and non-correlated subqueries

Compactness

• Small size of code added into the application by the database engine units
• Small database file size achieved by customizable page size, compression of table metadata and other special means
• Automatic free space recycling for data records, index pages, and BLOB blocks
• Fast BLOB data compression
• Short indexes for string fields
• Low memory consumption

Compatibility

• Support of most of TTable field data types, including BLOB fields
• Full compatibility with standard DB-aware visual controls such as QuickReport, DBGrid, DBNavigator, DBImage, DBMemo, DBRichEdit and others
• Calculated and lookup fields
• Most of TDatabase, TQuery and TTable properties, methods and events
• Support for the IProvider interface (TClientDataSet)

Functionality

• Unicode support in String and Memo fields
• Multiple-fields indexes with descending, ascending, case-sensitive and insensitive options
• Shareable tables
• Default values support
• Min, max and not null constraints on field values
• Export to SQL script (reverse engineering)

Security

• Strong encryption of database file
• Variety of supported encryption algorithms: Rijndael, the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) winner 128 bit key, Rijndael 256 bit key, Blowfish 448 bit key, Twofish 128 bit key, Twofish 256 bit key, Square, Single DES and Triple DES

Reliability

• Repair database in case of hardware failure or operating system error caused by another application
• Auto-detect of database corruption and automatic repair of database file

Convenience

• Table restructuring being performed in the easiest way keeping all the existing data
• Data importing from and exporting to any dataset
• Internationalization / localization support by use of current system locale
• Displaying progress during potentially slow operations with the tables and databases

Utilities

• DBImportExport utility to transfer your existing tables from database systems with BDE driver, such as Paradox, Interbase, Access, Oracle, SQL Server to Absolute Database format and vice versa.
• Absolute Database Manager to manage a database easily and to perform all supported operations with tables and database file
• With Absolute Database Manager you could also easily execute SQL queries
• All utilities come with full source code and can be used as an advanced examples

Ease of Development

• Full compatibility with TTable, TQuery, TSession and TDatabase components
• Extensive Developer's Manual covering every development issue.
• Large number of demos illustrating wide range of use cases
• Prompt and responsive technical support

Cost-Effectiveness

• 100% royalty-free, i.e. there is no additional licensing fees no matter how many times you deploy the application
• Flexible licensing: source code and no source code versions, multi-developers licenses

Target Development Environment

• Delphi 4
• Delphi 5
• Delphi 6
• Delphi 7
• Delphi 2005
• Delphi 2006
• Delphi 2007
• Turbo Delphi Professional
• C++ Builder 4
• C++ Builder 5
• C++ Builder 6
• C++ Builder 2006
• C++ Builder 20067
• Turbo C++ Professional
• Trial and Personal editions of Delphi are not supported