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Bonus TIPS for Successful Posting

Try a Search First
It is highly recommended that a Search be done on your topic before posting, as many questions have been answered in prior posts. As with any search engine, the shorter the search term, the more "hits" will be returned, but the more specific the search term is, the greater the relevance of those "hits". Searching for "table" might well return every message on the board while "tablesum" would greatly restrict the number of messages returned.

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Database maintenance

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    #1

    Database maintenance

    A question from newbie to A5, usual apologies.

    I'm building an A5 app that does data manipulation on and reports from several dbfs from a non-A5 app, actually a networked legacy (DOS) Clipper app still in intensive daily use. That app by the way can look after its own compacting and indexing etc if the data is changed elsewhere, ie not by it. But I need to implement the same (exclusive use) integrity checks at the A5 end.

    I need to ensure A5 can check out the target dbf's, have their deleted records removed, their A5 indexes rebuilt, they are compacted, and since we are porting versions from dvp to runtime areas during the development phase the data dictionaries checked out and fixed if necessary ... the full 9 yards.

    Can someone please point me towards the optimal commands or methods to achieve this, preferably on all-files at once, through a button initiated script? I have read the documentation, but I have got myself thoroughly confused about the difference in A5 between packing and compacting, ensuring the data file itself is checked for corrupt records, removing them, not to mention whatever else is necessary to ensure the integrity of the A5 data dictionary etc.

    Sorry if this is a big ask but it struck me I wouldn't be the only one interfacing legacy applications on the forum.
    Tags: None
    #2
    RE: Database maintenance

    Packing and compacting are the same thing. The process removes all deleted files and records from the database. The import thing to remember is that you cannot pack an open database. You want to use the .PACK() method.

    Comment

      #3
      RE: Database maintenance

      Hello John,

      Just a quick clarification. Packing refers to an individual table, while compacting refers to the entire database, including the the database's data dictionaries. So compacting is the shotgun approach, going the 'whole 9 yards'. The issue is, as Ed mentioned, that the compact methods (or packing refering to a single table) will not process an open table. So if you are in a multi-user environment, you have to either manually, or programically make sure there are no open tables.

      Good luck,
      Jim

      Comment

        #4
        RE: Database maintenance

        Thanks Edward and Jim ... if compacting is the way to go if I need the "whole 9 yards" [assuring of course exclusive access to all files] then I have one further newbie question. The documentation seems to cover lots of commands, functions methods etc to achieve it ... is there a preferred approach to getting this action performed eg by a push-button or on a timed routine running at midnight?

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