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Avoid corruption of linkage??

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    #16
    RE: Avoid corruption of linkage??

    Absolutely, Hence the universal use of relational data modeling. A record may contain a hundred tables. When you edit a field in a table the table is locked to other users until you save and exit the table. This protects you from data corruption and is true across all relational DBs.

    In striaght forward terms: Each form should be based on its own table in the set. The linking field should be completely seperate from the data, typically a seperate independant 16 digit number hash in each table.


    There could be dozens of reasons your linking became corrupt from improper distribution of tables to improper implementation of linking field criteria to a power glich during an edit.

    If you encountered only one disaster in a year why didn't you have a simple backup procedure in place to restore your system and go?

    There are a number of tried and true database design principles that you may want to investigate. Star Configuration, Key fields, and data protection just to name a few critical concepts.

    I return to my original point: A table with 800 fields is a non starter, I would not even consider it an option.

    Marc
    www.a5solutions.com
    Marc King
    A5solutions

    Comment


      #17
      RE: Avoid corruption of linkage??

      Hi John

      I would think if their was a flaw Alpha would of fixed it
      Ware did you see this?

      Ray

      Comment


        #18
        RE: Avoid corruption of linkage??

        Hi All

        I am with you Marc I do the same thing I make a 16 Chr field using auto increment and the field is hidden from the use every table I create this field is the first one
        And I label it auto_inc_id I have seen no trouble with
        This and the user can't change it so the link is solid

        Ray

        Comment


          #19
          RE: Avoid corruption of linkage??

          Yup, That's the way to do it.

          Cheers

          Marc
          www.a5solutions.com
          Marc King
          A5solutions

          Comment


            #20
            RE: Avoid corruption of linkage??

            Concept is explained in Newsletter #14 April 1st
            Article entitled:
            "Unique Field Values in Multi-User Apps"

            Comment


              #21
              RE: Avoid corruption of linkage??

              Hi John

              Thank you for the reply

              Ray

              Comment


                #22
                RE: Avoid corruption of linkage??

                Yep,

                That's the reason for the top most post here. But if I were not near the limits, I still do not see what the big deal is with a large number of fields in a record, especially for the kind of app I am dealing with.

                Ray Lyons

                Comment


                  #23
                  RE: Avoid corruption of linkage??

                  >>A record may contain a hundred tables. When you edit a field in a table the table is locked to other users until you save and exit the table. This protects you from data corruption and is true across all relational DBs.>There could be dozens of reasons your linking became corrupt from improper distribution of tables to improper implementation of linking field criteria...>If you encountered only one disaster in a year why didn't you have a simple backup procedure in place to restore your system and go?>There are a number of tried and true database design principles that you may want to investigate.>I return to my original point: A table with 800 fields is a non starter, I would not even consider it an option.

                  Comment


                    #24
                    RE: Avoid corruption of linkage??

                    If you think that using the A5 built-in auto-incement (my assumption about your meaning, sorry if it is incorrect) and hiding it from users means "the link is solid," I suggest you do a search of this and the V4 board. The link that failed on me met the criteria you state and it got all fouled up. Others have had similar experiences, as a search would show. That you have not yet had a problem means nothing about what may be around the bend.

                    Ray Lyons

                    Comment


                      #25
                      RE: Avoid corruption of linkage??

                      Ray, I know that email comes off a bit harsh but I certainly dont mean to condecend. I have no idea how experienced you are and I dont think your full of #!$@%. I only refer to what your trying to do on this question.

                      You can open the forms all you want but you wont be able save changes while others have the table in edit mode, A very high probability with all the forms sharing the same table.

                      A5 has built in backup features you can build into your app, probably a good idea!

                      You can certainly build a table with all or most of your 800 fields. And it will work as a single user app fairly well. But you started this discussion focused on networking this solution and your going to find that you are creating more potential for problems than you started with.

                      each to his own
                      Marc
                      www.a5solutions.com
                      Marc King
                      A5solutions

                      Comment


                        #26
                        RE: Avoid corruption of linkage??

                        Your correct that the record is locked and not the table. My apologies. But there are other major drawbacks to using a mega table. Primarily given your 1.3 MB record size your goint to have all that data downloading to the local user system each time a form is opened. Multiply that by ten or twenty users and you can bring the network to its knees. Also any operation that queries or collects data accross all records is going to cause very longs wait times (application lock) for all users even though the needed data for the operation may be totally unrelated to specific often used input forms.

                        Marc
                        www.a5solutions.com
                        Marc King
                        A5solutions

                        Comment


                          #27
                          RE: Avoid corruption of linkage??

                          At the risk of dragging a dead horse through the muck, my previous version of the app (multiple tables with records linked in sets) and what I 'll probably end up with now (fewer, possibly, but still multple tables linked in at least one if not more sets) have some but not many table only based forms such that the data involved in a set does not have to be dragged across the network. However, in most cases, the forms simply must at least display data from several tables in a set, or have set based lookups. Unless I am wrong, that will have more or less the same impact on the network traffic that my one large record scheme would have had (actually that large record still needed to be in a set too, but the point was the set had a table with a large record). I can't think of a way around it, can you?

                          Some common, seldom changed support tables could be moved to each workstation, but A5 likes everything in one folder except for dictionaries and shadow tables moved under network optimizing. Still, I wonder why having some support tables on a workstation wouldn't work, A5 general rules aside? In theory it should work. I may experiment with this.

                          Comment if you like, but this horse is long since dead and dragging it around much more is a dubious enterprise.

                          Ray Lyons

                          Comment

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