InterBase is a cross-platform embedded database

InterBase

InterBase is the open source relational database that combines ease of use, low maintenance costs, and enterprise power. Since 1985 InterBase has provided the strength of a powerful, high-performance, proven architecture with the sophisticated technology that applications need to be successful. Today, InterBase leads the industry again, offering free development and distribution rights and moving database use to the center of all application development.

Borland InterBase 6.0 Feature and Benefit Matrix
Choice of most popular Windows and Unix platforms
Platform independence lets you choose the most appropriate platform for your needs	InterBase 6 offers cross-platform compatibility between operating systems and hardware systems without having to recode or support multiple database backends.
Transparent interoperability allows seamless distributed access between your databases	Regardless of the computing platform on which InterBase runs, the InterBase Y-valve architecture abstracts a collection of subsystems that makes networked access to a database as transparent to the application as access to a local database. Distributed transaction support and access to multiple databases is built into the architecture.
High performance engine architecture combined with native OS features
Multi-generational architecture enables unparalleled concurrency between readers and writers	InterBase unique architecture maximizes the demands of complex query processing without inhibiting the update requirements of online data entry.
ENHANCED! Native multi-threaded server with background garbage collection and multi-user page buffer management	InterBase 6 relieves user transactions from the performance-inhibiting job of garbage collection by creating a serialized background thread which reduces the load on the server by spreading the task over a customizable period of time. In addition, cache management has been optimized to preserve the working set of database pages for individual transactions against long running operations including database backup, sweeping, large table and index scans.
Scalability from embedded, single user applications to enterprise demands	InterBase maintains a single code base that ensures that applications will run without modification or behavior inconsistency.
Instantaneous recovery from system failures	InterBase 6 Multi-generational architecture offers immediate recovery from system failures.
Adherence to standards protects your software investment and enhances portability
ANSI SQL 92 (entry level conformance)	Conformance to industry standards.
UNICODE, the universal character set, plus other international character sets	InterBase supports multiple language sets to enhance portability and global scalability.
JDBC with InterClient for Java access	Conformance to industry standards.
ODBC for Windows and Linux applications	Conformance to industry standards.
Easily connect to your databases with popular network protocols
Internet socket communications over TCP/IP for access between networks	InterBase support for TCP/IP provides database access across intranet networks, global internet networks running on Windows, Unix, and NetWare OS platforms.
Named Pipes over NetBEUI on Windows networks	InterBase provides Windows developers with an alternative to administering a full TCP/IP infrastructure with built-in NetBEUI networking.
Develop
ENHANCED! Multi-language support for C/C++, Java, and Object Pascal with Delphi and Kylix	InterBase does not lock you into a particular application language or a single vendor’s platform for your application development.
ENHANCED! Delphi and Kylix support for InterBase Express and dbExpress native drivers	InterBase Express and dbExpress component frameworks give you access to InterBase’s most advanced features as well as the performance advantage that comes from native driver support for a database server.
Stored procedures encapsulate business logic on server for reduced network traffic	A stored procedure is a named collection of SQL and flow control logic that is stored and run with the database server. This allows complex, network-intensive SQL logic to be run entirely on the server without consuming valuable network bandwith.
Active database features include modular triggers and event alerters	InterBase trigger language allows forward-chaining logic, arbitrary constraint enforcement and event notification to be triggered from SQL INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE operations. Multiple trigger definition allows triggers to be expressed and cataloged in clear, sequenced and understandable format.
User Defined Functions for extensible query support	InterBase has an extensible mechanism that allows users to define their own functions which can then be embedded in application database queries.
NEW! Delimited identifiers for flexible naming conventions	Delimited SQL identifiers work to help protect applications from collisions with new keywords as the SQL standard continues to evolve. InterBase allows characters to appear in the identifier and makes identifiers case-sensitive for better readability and enhanced expression.
Blobs, subtypes and filters to capture arbitrarily large, unstructured data	The Blob datatype in InterBase allows very large data to be stored and manipulated under transaction control with full back up and complete restoration.
Cascading referential integrity constraints ensure the validity of data	InterBase allows parent-child references between rows to be automatically maintained providing data validity and freedom from common errors.
NEW! Deploy databases on CD-ROM, DVD, or other read-only media	InterBase 6 offers the option to mark a database as read-only which will not write to a database to start a transaction. This opens new markets for developers of InterBase applications that run from CD-ROM or DVD, including historical databases, games and encyclopedia applications.
NEW! SQL compliant DATE, TIME, and TIMESTAMP support	InterBase 6 provides for complex manipulations of date and time datatypes using a SQL standardized interface. This makes it easier to migrate your applications to InterBase from other standards-compliant database products.
NEW! Large exact numeric support	Large exact numeric support makes InterBase an appropriate choice for accounting and financial analysis applications. InterBase 6 can provide exact numeric support for 18 digits of precision making it an ideal database solution for large denomination foreign currencies.
NEW! Programmatic services to administer and monitor databases	InterBase 6 allows developers to employ automation to programmably control user management, backup and other administrative tasks.
Deploy
Easy installation and small footprint simplifies deployment requirements	Easily deploy compact InterBase database applications with a single CD on platforms with limited memory and disk resources.
NEW! Silently embed InterBase into your applications with customizable install components	InterBase customizable install components allow the database server to be transparently embedded in proprietary application installation procedures.
NEW! Regulate your application usage by leveraging built-in licensing components	The InterBase database licensing scheme enables developers to track application usage wherever it occurs, simplifying the license distribution for application access.
Relax
Continuous database availability with online backups	InterBase creates a transaction-consistent backup while allowing users to read and write to the database. Users do not need to disconnect from the database in order to perform routine backup.
Self-tuning features to minimize database administration	The InterBase self-tuning features include a cost-based query optimizer which utilizes statistics on table cardinality, automatic garbage collection, and dynamic rebalancing of index structures to release empty index pages.
NEW! IBConsole for Windows tracks database activity for any server platform	The IBConsole is a single management tool designed to manage and administer local as well as remote InterBase servers and databases from a single site.
NEW! Database replication synchronizes data when and where you want it	Database replication allows information from databases to migrate to multiple geographic locations. This optimizes wide area network (WAN) performance by localizing access to information where it is needed while still providing remote access.