This guide documents the changes made in the Firebird SQL language between InterBase 6 and Firebird 2.0.x.

It covers the following areas:

• Reserved words
• Data types and subtypes
• DDL statements (Data Definition Language)
• DML statements (Data Manipulation Language)
• Transaction control statements
• PSQL statements (Procedural SQL, used in stored procedures and triggers)
• Context variables
• Operators and predicates
• Internal functions
• UDFs (User Defined Functions, also known as external functions)

To have a complete Firebird 2.0 SQL reference, you need:

• The InterBase 6.0 beta SQL Reference (LangRef.zip and/or SQLRef.html)
• This document

Topics not discussed in this document include:

• ODS versions
• Bug listings
• Installation and configuration
• Upgrade, migration and compatibility
• Server architectures
• API functions
• Connection protocols
• Tools and utilities

Consult the Release Notes for information on these subjects. You can find the Release Notes and other documentation via the Firebird Documentation Index at https://www.firebirdsql.org/index.php?op=doc.

This document covers all Firebird versions up to and including 2.0.6.

Most of this document was written by the main author. The remainder (5–7%) was lifted from various Firebird Release Notes editions, which in turn contain material from preceding sources like the Whatsnew documents. Authors and editors of the included material are:

• J. Beesley
• Helen Borrie
• Arno Brinkman
• Frank Ingermann
• Alex Peshkov
• Nickolay Samofatov
• Dmitry Yemanov