Creating a Database

Databases can be created in both iBase User and iBase Designer.

Before you begin

Before you start to create a database, check that:

  • You are logged on to a suitable security file (see Logging on to the correct security file for details).

  • The security file is stored in the correct folder because iBase Designer creates the new database file (.idb file) in the same folder as the security file (.ids file).

When you are ready to create the database:

Procedure

  1. In iBase Designer or iBase User, select File > New Database.

  2. In the Name box, enter a unique name for the database. When you choose the name, consider:

    • Whether the name uniquely identifies the database, not only within your iBase system but also when the database is used with other iBase databases from other organizations, which is possible if maps and Analyst's Notebook® charts are created using data from multiple iBase databases.

    • For SQL Server databases, the name you choose is used to generate the name of the SQL Server database so you might want to discuss the naming convention to use with your SQL Server administrator. For more information, see SQL Server Database Names.

  3. From the Database Type list, select the file type of the database you want to create:

    • Microsoft Access

      Creates a Microsoft™ Access database. Click the Details tab to continue.

    • SQL Server

      If you have a suitable server available, you can create an SQL Server database. To do this:

      1. For the Database Type, select SQL Server.

      2. Enter a Server name in the box to use a known server. Only select the local option, if available, if the database is for personal use.

      3. Choose how your computer connects to that server, using one of these options:

        • If your SQL Server database administrator has given you a login name and password for SQL Server, type these items in the Login Name and Password boxes. Each iBase user connects to the server using this login.

        • Turn on the Use Windows Authentication checkbox if you want to use integrated security, where SQL Server accepts the fact that a user has logged on to a Windows™ domain as sufficient permission to connect to the server. If you choose this option, the SQL server login entered above is never used, and each user that attempts to connect to use the iBase database is validated by the server using their network credentials.

        The different methods of authenticating a connection are described in detail in Authenticating Connections to SQL Server.

      4. Click the Details tab to display the Details page.

  4. On the Details page, add a Title for your database. The title will appear in the title bar of the application window when the database is open in iBase.

  5. Optional: Enter a Description of the database. You might want to enter a brief description that is seen by users opening the database. You might also want to record the name of its database template and the version number of the schema or template.

  6. Set the Audit Level which you want to log changes.

    Level 1 means that the audit log collects the lowest level of detail, and level 5 the highest. (If you are creating an Microsoft Access database, the highest setting is 4.) Level 4 and higher collect large amounts of data about user activities so you should use these levels with care, and monitor the size of the log file as the database is used.

    You have now set enough properties to create a blank database.

  7. Depending on your requirements:

What to do next

The final step is to control the type of access allowed to the database folder and its files. By default, Windows users do not have sufficient permissions to log on and open the new database.