Using SQLite

Using SQLite

by Jay A. Kreibich
Released August 2010
Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ISBN: 9780596521189

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Book description

Application developers, take note: databases aren't just for the IS group any more. You can build database-backed applications for the desktop, Web, embedded systems, or operating systems without linking to heavy-duty client-server databases such as Oracle and MySQL. This book shows you how to use SQLite, a small and lightweight relational database engine that you can build directly into your application.

With SQLite, you'll discover how to develop a database-backed application that remains manageable in size and complexity. This book guides you every step of the way. You'll get a crash course in data modeling, become familiar with SQLite's dialect of the SQL database language, and much more.

  • Learn how to maintain localized storage in a single file that requires no configuration
  • Build your own SQLite library or use a precompiled distribution in your application
  • Get a primer on SQL, and learn how to use several language functions and extensions
  • Work with SQLite using a scripting language or a C-based language such as C# or Objective-C
  • Understand the basics of database design, and learn how to transfer what you already know to SQLite
  • Take advantage of virtual tables and modules

"Complex SQL concepts explained clearly."

--D. Richard Hipp, creator of SQLite

Table of contents

  1. Dedication
  2. A Note Regarding Supplemental Files
  3. Preface
    1. SQLite Versions
    2. Email Lists
    3. Example Code Download
    4. How We Got Here
    5. Conventions Used in This Book
    6. Using Code Examples
    7. Safari® Books Online
    8. How to Contact Us
  4. 1. What Is SQLite?
    1. Self-Contained, No Server Required
    2. Single File Database
    3. Zero Configuration
    4. Embedded Device Support
    5. Unique Features
    6. Compatible License
    7. Highly Reliable
  5. 2. Uses of SQLite
    1. Database Junior
    2. Application Files
    3. Application Cache
    4. Archives and Data Stores
    5. Client/Server Stand-in
    6. Teaching Tool
    7. Generic SQL Engine
    8. Not the Best Choice
    9. Big Name Users
  6. 3. Building and Installing SQLite
    1. SQLite Products
    2. Precompiled Distributions
    3. Documentation Distribution
    4. Source Distributions
      1. The Amalgamation
      2. Source Files
      3. Source Downloads
    5. Building
      1. Configure
      2. Manually
      3. Build Customization
    6. Build and Installation Options
    7. An sqlite3 Primer
    8. Summary
  7. 4. The SQL Language
    1. Learning SQL
    2. Brief Background
      1. Declarative
      2. Portability
    3. General Syntax
      1. Basic Syntax
      2. Three-Valued Logic
      3. Simple Operators
    4. SQL Data Languages
    5. Data Definition Language
      1. Tables
        1. The basics
        2. Column types
        3. Column constraints
        4. Primary keys
        5. Table constraints
        6. Tables from queries
        7. Altering tables
        8. Dropping tables
        9. Virtual tables
      2. Views
      3. Indexes
    6. Data Manipulation Language
      1. Row Modification Commands
        1. INSERT
        2. UPDATE
        3. DELETE
      2. The Query Command
    7. Transaction Control Language
      1. ACID Transactions
      2. SQL Transactions
      3. Save-Points
    8. System Catalogs
    9. Wrap-up
  8. 5. The SELECT Command
    1. SQL Tables
    2. The SELECT Pipeline
      1. FROM Clause
        1. CROSS JOIN
        2. INNER JOIN
        3. OUTER JOIN
        4. Table aliases
      2. WHERE Clause
      3. GROUP BY Clause
      4. SELECT Header
      5. HAVING Clause
      6. DISTINCT Keyword
      7. ORDER BY Clause
      8. LIMIT and OFFSET Clauses
    3. Advanced Techniques
      1. Subqueries
      2. Compound SELECT Statements
      3. Alternate JOIN Notation
    4. SELECT Examples
      1. Simple SELECTs
      2. Simple JOINs
      3. JOIN...ON
      4. JOIN...USING, NATURAL JOIN
      5. OUTER JOIN
      6. Compound JOIN
      7. Self JOIN
      8. WHERE Examples
      9. GROUP BY Examples
      10. ORDER BY Examples
    5. What’s Next
  9. 6. Database Design
    1. Tables and Keys
      1. Keys Define the Table
      2. Foreign Keys
      3. Foreign Key Constraints
      4. Generic ID Keys
      5. Keep It Specific
    2. Common Structures and Relationships
      1. One-to-One Relationships
      2. One-to-Many Relationships
      3. Many-to-Many Relationships
      4. Hierarchies and Trees
        1. Adjacency Model
        2. Nested set
        3. More information
    3. Normal Form
      1. Normalization
      2. Denormalization
      3. The First Normal Form
      4. The Second Normal Form
      5. The Third Normal Form
      6. Higher Normal Forms
    4. Indexes
      1. How They Work
      2. Must Be Diverse
      3. INTEGER PRIMARY KEYs
      4. Order Matters
      5. One at a Time
      6. Index Summary
    5. Transferring Design Experience
      1. Tables Are Types
      2. Keys Are Backwards Pointers
      3. Do One Thing
    6. Closing
  10. 7. C Programming Interface
    1. API Overview
      1. Structure
      2. Strings and Unicode
      3. Error Codes
      4. Structures and Allocations
      5. More Info
    2. Library Initialization
    3. Database Connections
      1. Opening
      2. Special Cases
      3. Closing
      4. Example
    4. Prepared Statements
      1. Statement Life Cycle
      2. Prepare
      3. Step
      4. Result Columns
      5. Reset and Finalize
      6. Statement Transitions
      7. Examples
    5. Bound Parameters
      1. Parameter Tokens
      2. Binding Values
      3. Security and Performance
      4. Example
      5. Potential Pitfalls
    6. Convenience Functions
    7. Result Codes and Error Codes
      1. Standard Codes
      2. Extended Codes
      3. Error Functions
      4. Prepare v2
      5. Transactions and Errors
      6. Database Locking
        1. Busy handlers
        2. Deadlocks
        3. Avoiding SQLITE_BUSY
        4. Avoiding deadlocks
        5. When BUSY becomes BLOCKED
    8. Utility Functions
      1. Version Management
      2. Memory Management
    9. Summary
  11. 8. Additional Features and APIs
    1. Date and Time Features
      1. Application Requirements
      2. Representations
        1. Julian Day
        2. Text values
        3. Time zones
      3. Time and Date Functions
        1. Conversion Function
        2. Convenience functions
        3. Time literals
        4. Examples
    2. ICU Internationalization Extension
    3. Full-Text Search Module
      1. Creating and Populating FTS Tables
      2. Searching FTS Tables
      3. More Details
    4. R*Trees and Spatial Indexing Module
    5. Scripting Languages and Other Interfaces
      1. Perl
      2. PHP
      3. Python
      4. Java
      5. Tcl
      6. ODBC
      7. .NET
      8. C++
      9. Other Languages
    6. Mobile and Embedded Development
      1. Memory
      2. Storage
      3. Other Resources
      4. iPhone Support
      5. Other Environments
    7. Additional Extensions
  12. 9. SQL Functions and Extensions
    1. Scalar Functions
      1. Registering Functions
      2. Extracting Parameters
      3. Returning Results and Errors
      4. Example
        1. sql_set_limit
        2. sql_get_limit
        3. sql_getset_limit
        4. sql_getset_var_limit
    2. Aggregate Functions
      1. Defining Aggregates
      2. Aggregate Context
      3. Example
    3. Collation Functions
      1. Registering a Collation
      2. Collation Example
    4. SQLite Extensions
      1. Extension Architecture
      2. Extension Design
      3. Example Extension: sql_trig
      4. Building and Integrating Static Extensions
      5. Using Loadable Extensions
      6. Building Loadable Extensions
      7. Loadable Extension Security
      8. Loading Loadable Extensions
      9. Multiple Entry Points
      10. Chapter Summary
  13. 10. Virtual Tables and Modules
    1. Introduction to Modules
      1. Internal Modules
      2. External Modules
      3. Example Modules
      4. SQL for Anything
    2. Module API
    3. Simple Example: dblist Module
      1. Create and Connect
        1. Allocate the vtab structure
        2. Define the table structure
        3. Storage initialization
        4. Create/connect dblist example
      2. Disconnect and Destroy
      3. Query Optimization
      4. Custom Functions
      5. Table Rename
      6. Opening and Closing Table Cursors
      7. Filtering Rows
      8. Extracting and Returning Data
      9. Virtual Table Modifications
      10. Cursor Sequence
      11. Transaction Control
      12. Register the Module
      13. Example Usage
    4. Advanced Example: weblog Module
      1. Create and Connect
      2. Disconnect and Destroy
      3. Other Table Functions
      4. Open and Close
      5. Filter
      6. Rows and Columns
      7. Register the Module
      8. Example Usage
    5. Best Index and Filter
      1. Purpose and Need
      2. xBestIndex()
      3. xFilter()
      4. Typical Usage
    6. Wrap-Up
  14. A. SQLite Build Options
    1. Shell Directives
    2. Default Values
    3. Sizes and Limits
    4. Operation and Behavior
    5. Debug Settings
    6. Enable Extensions
    7. Limit Features
    8. Omit Core Features
  15. B. sqlite3 Command Reference
    1. Command-Line Options
    2. Interactive Dot-Commands
  16. C. SQLite SQL Command Reference
    1. SQLite SQL Commands
  17. D. SQLite SQL Expression Reference
    1. Literal Expressions
    2. Logic Representations
    3. Unary Expressions
    4. Binary Expressions
    5. Function Calls
    6. Column Names
    7. General Expressions
  18. E. SQLite SQL Function Reference
    1. Scalar Functions
    2. Aggregate Functions
  19. F. SQLite SQL PRAGMA Reference
    1. SQLite PRAGMAs
  20. G. SQLite C API Reference
    1. API Datatypes
    2. API Functions
  21. Index
  22. About the Author
  23. Colophon
  24. Copyright

Product information

  • Title: Using SQLite
  • Author(s): Jay A. Kreibich
  • Release date: August 2010
  • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
  • ISBN: 9780596521189