Frequently Asked Questions Concerning JQuickBase
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Version JQB-A 0.0.4
Last updated: 07 Jun 2005

What can I do with JQB?
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JQB aims to present a high quality datafile and indexing tool on a low technical or
abstraction level. This means you get a quickly operating database management tool for
elementary application tasks. For many smaller and midrange applications this is sufficient; 
for certain velocity-dependent applications, like data-testing or simulations with a high 
data exchange frequency, this might be the ideal solution.

In more detail you can use JQB to:

(currently implemented:)
- build a persistency level for any kind of application data on a record based pattern
- use fixed or totally variable record sizes [only fixed size currently]
- free yourself of any data formating restrictions
- use block or stream oriented read and write technologies
- keep your application data encrypted to state-of-the-art encryption and access 
  authentication technologies
- use a blank datafile as a safe user-key authentication device
- use built-in functions to easily build a backup level for your datafiles
- use built-in functions to perform record locking
- store and digest very long records which exceed processing memory size
- use synchronized design for multi-threaded operations
- use optional feature set to tailor files for your speed and security demands

(to come in future:)
- JQBFlexibleDataFile to implement variable record lengths in a single file
- store any amount of index keys or property expressions per record, separate from record 
  data in your datafile
- use B+-tree index files with user defined key-length and page-size, expressing a relation
  of strings into integers
- use B+-tree index files for a quick and sorted sequential access method to datafile content
- you may keep even your index files encrypted


What can I explicitly NOT do with JQB?
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- expect any public interface like ODBC, JDBC, SQL etc.
- read other databases' files or formats


What about all those file features?
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File features are meant for your convenience to fine-tune the behaviour of datafiles and 
indexes to meet application requirements. 

- For the *FASTEST* file just set VARREADLEN and nothing else.
- For the *SLIMMEST* file don't set VARREADLEN (and avoid ENCRYPT and READPROTECT if your
  record size is not a multiple of 16). 
- To maximize control of *DATA INTEGRITY* set FILECRC + AUTOREORG.
- For best content *ACCESS SECURITY* set ENCRYPT and use a 32-byte encryption key (e.g. 
  a SHA-256 of a passphrase or key file, which is easy available at the JQB interface).
- For best content protection without encryption set READPROTECT + ERASEDEL.


What are the time and space impact of the various file features?
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The following feature increases space consumption:
   VARREADLEN

The following features increase time consumption (in order of relevance):
   ENCRYPT, READPROTECT, ERASEDEL, FILECRC, AUTOREORG

The following feature decreases time consumption:
   VARREADLEN