Insert thousands or millions of rows in bulk

What is the fastest way to batch insert a large number of rows in SQLite using this gem?

Currently I use this:

db.execute('BEGIN TRANSACTION')
sql = 'INSERT INTO items (id, name) VALUES (?, ?)'
items.each_with_index { |name, id| db.execute(sql, [id, name]) }
db.execute('COMMIT')

The items come from a large files and need to be inserted in the SQLite database as fast as possible.

1. Is there any better / optimized solution?
2. For example I was considering to keep all the inserts in Ruby in an array and then use execute_batch, however I can't find a way to sanitize / interpolate the statements in this case. Is there a method like db.sanitize(sql, [id, name])?

The issue provides Ruby examples using db.execute, transactions, and execute_batch; start by reviewing those APIs and their parameter-binding behavior in the gem. The issue names no file or test, so first identify the relevant implementation and test entry points, then define the fastest supported bulk-insert approach and how completion should be verified.