Do I have MySQL or Firebird?
As you know, SQL is the database language framework on which the OP platform is built. In 2023, OP began the process of converting client databases from an older dialect of SQL called Firebird to a more standard, faster dialect called MySQL. Consequently, we currently have a mix of practices on Firebird and MySQL. While many reports work identically well without adjustment in both dialects, other Firebird reports must be slightly adjusted to accommodate differences in MySQL before they will work as expected.
While your practice will be notified before you are migrated, the easiest way to tell what dialect your database is running is:
- Go to Tools > Database Viewer.
- Look at the very far left columns of Table and Field names:
- If these are in all caps, this means you have Firebird (e.g. AAP_ACTIONPLANS, AAP_CONTENT, AAP_CONTENT_OVERRIDE.)
- By contrast, if you look at the very far left column of Table and Field names and see lower case this means you are running MySQL (e.g. aap_actionplans, aap_content, aap_content_override):
Knowing what dialect you’re running helps us helps you faster!
Transitioning from Firebird to MySQL
When your practice transitions from Firebird to MySQL, you will need to update your report set. While many Firebird SQLs work perfectly fine in MySQL, many do not. You will need to get new, MySQL versions of these reports.
