Absolute Database for Delphi / C++ Builder: README
==================================================

Please read this file carefully (especially the INSTALLATION chapter) 
before installing the program to your computer.


Contents
--------

  Program information
  Company information
  Description
  Specification
  Features and Benefits
  Installation
  Purchasing / Registration
  Copyright and licenses
  Warranty and guarantee
  Technical support
  Important note


Program information
-------------------

Program Name:
  Absolute Database
License Types:
  Personal   (for personal use, without source code)
  For Single Developer, No Source Code
  For Single Developer with Source Code
  For 4 Developers with Source Code
  For 8 Developers with Source Code
  Site License with Source Code
Program Version:
  5.00
Program Release Date:
  09/01/2005
Program Purpose:
  High-speed embedded database system for Delphi and C++ Builder. 
Target Environment:
  Delphi 4, 5, 6, 7, 2005 and C++ Builder 4, 5, 6.


Company information
-------------------

Company Name:
  ComponentAce
Contact E-mail Address:
  support@componentace.com
Contact WWW URL:
  http://www.componentace.com


Description
-----------

With AbsoluteDatabase you can forget the Borland Database Engine (BDE) . 
Absolute Database is the compact, high-speed, robust and easy-to-use database engine. 
With Absolute Database you will not need special installation and configuration, 
it compiles right into your EXE. 
Make your application faster and smaller with Absolute Database!

Key Features:

·	No BDE; no DLLs
·	SQL'92 (DDL & DML) support
·	Single database file
·	Unmatched ease-of-use
·	100% compatibility with standard DB-aware controls
·	Strong encryption
·	BLOB compression
·	Full source code available
·	Royalty-free


Features
--------

Ease of Deployment
·	No BDE, no DLLs
·	No special installation or configuration required
·	Database engine compiles right into EXE
·	Single-file database format

High-speed
·	Advanced cache management and buffering architecture
·	Sophisticated SQL query and filter optimizer
·	Special optimized database engine for temporary results of SQL queries 
·	Fast B*-Tree indexes with high-speed on thousands and on billions of records
·	Buffered transactions for batch inserts, updates and deletes
·	Optmization for read-only databases, such as databases on CD

SQL support
·	SELECT with DISTINCT, INNER LEFT, RIGTH, FULL and OUTER JOIN, GROUP BY and ORDER BY clauses
·	CREATE TABLE, DROP TABLE, ALTER TABLE statements 
·	CREATE INDEX, DROP INDEX statements 
·	INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE statements 
·	BETWEEN, IN, LIKE, IS NULL operators 
·	Aggregate functions COUNT,SUM,MIN,MAX,AVG 
·	Most of all SQL'92 arithmetic, logical, date-time and string functions and operators 
·	Data types conversion by function CAST 
·	SQL scripts (multiple commands separated by ';') 
·	Parameters in queries 

Compactness
·	Small size of code added into the application by the database engine units
·	Small database file size achieved by customizable page size, compression of table metadata and other special means
·	Fast BLOB data compression 
·	Short indexes for string fields
·	Low memory consumption

Compatibility 
·	Support of most of TTable field data types, including BLOB fields
·	Full compatibility with standard DB-aware visual controls such as QuickReport, DBGrid, DBNavigator, DBImage, DBMemo, DBRichEdit and others
·	Calculated and lookup fields
·	Most of TTable functions including Key and Range methods
 
Functionality
·	Unicode support in String and Memo fields
·	Multiple-fields indexes with descending, ascending, case-sensitive and insensitive options 
·	Shareable in-memory tables
·	Default values support. 
·	Min, max and not null constraints on field values 

Security 
·	Strong encryption of database file
·	Variety of supported encryption algotithms: Rijndael, the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) winner 128 bit key, Rijndael 256 bit key, Blowfish 448 bit key, Twofish 128 bit key, Twofish 256 bit key, Square, Single DES and Triple DES

 
Reliability 
·	Repair database in case of hardware failure or operating system error caused by another application
·	Auto-detect of database corruption and automatic repair of database file

Convenience 
·	Table restructuring being performed in the easiest way keeping all the existing data
·	Data importing from and exporting to any data source
·	Internationalization / localization support by use of current system locale
·	Displaying progress during potentially slow operations with the tables and databases 
 
Utilities 
·	DBImportExport utility to transfer your existing tables from database systems with BDE driver, such as Paradox, Interbase, Access, Oracle, SQL Server to Absolute Database format and vice versa. 
·	Absolute Database Manager to manage a database easily and to perform all supported operations with tables and database file
·	Absolute Database Manager also provides you an easy way of executing SQL queries
·	All utilities come with full source code and can be used as an advanced examples

Ease of Development
·	Full compatibilty with TTable, TQuery, TDatabase and TSession components
·	Extensive documentation: Developer's Guide and Reference covering every development issue.
·	Large number of demos illustrating wide range of use cases
·	Prompt and responsive technical support

Cost-Effectiveness
·	100% royaty-free, i.e. there is no additional licensing fees no matter how many times you deploy the application
·	Flexible licensing: source code and no source code versions, multi-developers licenses


Installation
------------

1) Make sure that all copies of Delphi (or C++ Builder) are currently 
   closed and not running on the target system. Also, if you are 
   replacing an existing version of Absolute Database, please remove all files and
   the package of the prior version before running the new setup program.

2) Unpack zip archive containing Absolute Database into any directory. 

3) Run the INSTALL.EXE from this directory.

4) Follow on-screen instructions of step-by-step setup wizard to install 
   Absolute Database.

5) If after the installation Absolute Database components
   don't appear in Components Palette of the IDE, please follow the next
   instructions:

  * From the IDE, select 'Component | Install Packages...'.
  * Click the 'Add' button.
  * In the ..\AbsoluteDatabase\Lib\Delphi# (or ..\AbsDb\Lib\C++ Builder#) directory,
    select the dclAbsDbD#.BPL (or dclAbsDbB#.BPL) file.
  * Click the 'OK' button to close the dialog. 
  * Finally, select 'Tools | Environment Options' from the main menu. From this dialog,
    select the 'Library' tab and insure that the
    ..\AbsDb\Lib\Delphi# (or ..\AbsDb\Lib\C++ Builder#) directory is
    included in the 'Library Path' line.


Purchasing / Registration
-------------------------

Visit our site http://www.componentace.com to purchase or register the product.



Copyright and license
---------------------

See "license.txt" file.


Warranty and guarantee
----------------------

See "license.txt" file.


Technical support
-----------------

Before you contact us, please do the following:

  - Make sure you have performed all the required steps correctly. 
  - Look at the Help files and Demos: it may already contain an answer to
    your question. A lot of people ask us something like "how do I:", 
    though the complete information is there.
  - Visit our Internet site at http://www.componentace.com. It's a good chance 
    that you'll find the newer version of our product there.

If the problem persists, please, inform us about the following:

  - Absolute Database version
  - Compiler information: Delphi or C++ Builder, Version, Edition, Service 
    Pack
  - Environmental information: your OS and Service Pack
  - Description of your problem (as much information as possible to 
    retrieve the problem).
  - Attach a test project where the problem could be reproduced (it helps 
    us to solve your issue as soon as possible)

Typically ComponentAce Support Team answer messages in 24 hours, but 
depending on singularity and difficulty of your question it may take a bit 
longer.

Should you have any ideas on improving the existing functions of this 
product after you have downloaded and used it, be easy to e-mail us. 
All registered users who buy this product may also send their offers 
to add new possibilities and/or to change the product's functions.
We consider any ideas and we may take them into account while creating 
new versions of our products.


Important note
--------------

This product, the software itself and accompanying documentation, is developed 
and delivered in accordance with international treaties.

Some countries restrict the exporting of software that uses strong encryption. If you will be
exporting software that uses this product by ComponentAce, we strongly advise you to find
out what your country's laws allow or restrict.
