Subject Is it save to append some data at end of the binary firebird database file?
Author Moessinger, Semjon

My main intend is to add some version information to a firebird database file, since I will use firebird as embedded database and installers/update mechanism will need this information.

The information should be available platform independent and I would prefer a solution not needing any database access.

I figured out it is possible to simply append manually some ascii data at the end of the db file (see picture attached). This would be my preferred solution. It seems to work (I can still read and write to the database and even manipulate the database structure). But maybe this is only luck? So my question is:

· Is it save to do this?

· Do you suggest another method instead of my? *

* Of course it is reasonable to store the version information inside the database in a special table, I think. But a kind of release-script could read this information, append it to the binary db file and any installer/updater does not need to search inside the database.

Thank you in advance.

Semjon Mössinger

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]