Denis Simonov, a major contributor to the official Firebird SQL documentation, has written a comprehensive guide for database professionals seeking to master query optimization. "Secrets of Firebird Query Performance" will be published on November 12, 2025, as a 320-page printable PDF in A4 format. The book will be available in four languages: English, German, Portuguese, and Russian, making it accessible to database developers and administrators worldwide.
See contents of this book here.
This comprehensive guide teaches database professionals how to optimize Firebird SQL queries through both theoretical understanding and practical techniques. The book covers essential performance measurement tools like isql statistics, query execution plans, MON$ monitoring tables, and the gstat utility, while explaining database access methods including full table scans, index operations, and temporary table optimization. Readers will master advanced indexing strategies with simple and composite indexes, partial indexes, expression-based indexes, and index navigation techniques.
The author provides detailed coverage of query optimization including JOIN algorithms (nested loop and hash joins), subquery transformations, sorting and grouping optimization with ORDER BY and GROUP BY operations, and advanced features like LATERAL joins and procedural code optimization. Real-world examples with performance measurements demonstrate practical applications of bottleneck identification and systematic performance troubleshooting techniques.
The book will be available in Firebird SQL Shop and through partners.
We will send announce and discount coupons through Firebird Substack, so refer Substack to your colleagues.