Delphi & Databases

Connecting is the beginning. Operating safely is the real work.

FireDAC in Practice

From the first database connection to advanced techniques with Delphi

Move beyond the first connection and build a predictable, secure data-access layer ready for production.

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This book is currently available in Brazilian Portuguese.

EditionIn preparation2026Book languagePortugueseBrazilFormatsComing soonComing soon

About the book

A complete view of the book.

FireDAC in Practice follows the development of a data-access layer from the first connection to the decisions that sustain a production application. Rather than presenting isolated components, it shows how queries, parameters, types, transactions, and updates relate to consistency, performance, and user experience.

Across six parts, readers progress through in-memory data, Cached Updates, Local SQL, batch processing, concurrency, pooling, diagnostics, recovery, and deployment. Delphi examples with different relational databases reveal the distance between code that merely works in a laboratory and a solution capable of remaining dependable under load, failure, and continuous change.

The challenge

Does this situation sound familiar?

Making a query work is only the first step. In production, connections, transactions, concurrency, performance, failures, and database differences turn apparently simple decisions into risks for the entire system.

The book’s approach

A path from intention to practice.

Explore FireDAC progressively, from architecture and driver configuration to queries, transactions, in-memory data, concurrency, security, recovery, and deployment.

“The value of a data-access library appears both in what it delivers and in how the system recovers.”

By the end of the book, you will be able to:

✓Understand FireDAC architecture, drivers, and configuration

✓Write parameterized queries and handle data types correctly

✓Control transactions, master-detail relationships, and updates

✓Use in-memory data, caching, and Local SQL with clear criteria

✓Measure performance and handle concurrency and asynchronous execution

✓Prepare security, recovery, and deployment for production

Questions that guide the reading

Answers begin with the right questions.

Questions explored through context, criteria, and examples.

How should FireDAC be configured beyond the first successful connection?

How do parameters, types, transactions, and updates affect correctness?

When do caching and in-memory processing help—or create risk?

How can a data layer be prepared for concurrency, failure, and deployment?

Inside the book

A structured journey that helps you move forward.

Concepts and applications presented in a coherent sequence.

Foundations and the first connection

Understand the architecture, drivers, connections, and configuration behind the first successful access.

Queries and commands

Build parameterized queries and commands while respecting types, errors, and database behavior.

Transactions and relationships

Coordinate transactions, master-detail relationships, and updates without losing consistency.

In-memory data and updates

Use FireDAC memory, cached updates, and Local SQL where they add measurable value.

Performance and concurrency

Evaluate concurrency, pooling, asynchronous work, and bottlenecks with evidence.

Security, recovery, and deployment

Protect credentials and data, recover from failure, and prepare dependable deployment.

Content in preparation

Planned book structure

Explore the 6 parts and 21 planned chapters. Titles may be refined during editorial review.

View chapters21 chapters

Part I — First steps and architecture

The first database connection
How FireDAC works
Connections, drivers, and definitions
A reproducible and secure project

Part II — Queries, data, and editing

Queries and commands with TFDQuery and TFDCommand
Parameters, macros, preprocessing, and types
Navigation, search, filters, and local indexes
Editing, virtual fields, and update rules
Fetch, resources, and user experience

Part III — Consistency and advanced operations

Transactions without surprises
Master-detail and coordinated updates
Stored procedures, functions, and DBMS services
Array DML, Batch Move, and bulk loading

Part IV — In-memory data and disconnected work

TFDMemTable in depth
Persistence, formats, and interchange
Cached Updates and reconciliation
Local SQL and source composition

Part V — Performance, responsiveness, and concurrency

Measuring, diagnosing, and optimizing
Asynchronous execution, threads, and pooling
Metadata, events, and automation

Part VI — Production and professional architecture

FireDAC in a professional application

What makes this book different

Depth to understand. Clarity to keep moving forward.

A progressive path from fundamentals to production concerns

Practical Delphi scenarios rather than isolated component descriptions

Performance, failure recovery, and security treated as design concerns

Criteria that apply across Firebird, PostgreSQL, SQLite, and MySQL

Who this book is for

Knowledge that becomes action.

Delphi developers who want to master FireDAC in real applications will find a direct approach connected to concrete problems.

✓ Delphi developers beginning with FireDAC✓ Professionals maintaining database-oriented applications✓ Delphi architects and technical leaders✓ Teams working with different database systems

Before you begin

What you need to benefit from the book

✓Basic familiarity with Delphi and relational databases is helpful

✓The progression begins with the first connection and advances toward production scenarios

An informed choice

This may not be the right book if…

—Readers looking only for a short component reference

—Readers expecting one configuration to fit every database and workload

Why this author, on this subject

Experience that gives the reading context.

Drawing on more than 20 years of Delphi and database development, Régys connects FireDAC components to the operational decisions that keep real systems reliable.

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