Field Limitations Question

[mlqa]

I do not own a current version of Alpha Five but I have a question that needs an answer before I can make that purchase. I have owned Alpha Five (version 4) in the past, but I'm sure much has changed over the years. My question is regarding the field (column) limit of 1023.

I would be using a .asc, .txt or .csv file that has 1,434 fields. I need somewhere in the neighborhood of 275 of those fields to Import into a single Alpha Five table. Is it possible to create an Import Operation that parses the data as it reads it, so that I may Import just the fields I need, and thereby abide by the field limit?

Thanks for any assistance,
~Mike

[Keith Hubert]

Re: Field Limitations Question

Hi Mike,

Welcome to V9.

The simple answer is Yes, you can import just 275 fields into one table.

I would be interested in seeing your application and to know why you need so many fields in one table.

[mlqa]

Re: Field Limitations Question

Hi Mike,

Welcome to V9.

The simple answer is Yes, you can import just 275 fields into one table.

I would be interested in seeing your application and to know why you need so many fields in one table.

Thanks for your answer. Based upon your post count, I will believe you with confidence. :)

The application does not yet exist, but it will be used to display the Past Performance data for a horse race. There are many programs in existence that already do this, but I plan to display the data in an unconventional format, and also to include a handful of proprietary calculations.

Below is an image displaying the Past Performance data for a single horse. The data file (provided by a vendor), when displayed or printed, will typically look similar to the image below. Note that everything you see would be contained in a single record, on a single line in the data file. Hence, the unruly number of fields. Also, there will be no need to archive any records.

In essence, if things go as planned, I will be able to open the entire file in a single table and then temporarily view just the relevant data in my custom forms.

Thanks again, Keith.
~Mike

[Keith Hubert]

Re: Field Limitations Question

Hi Mike,

I hope that we dont misunderstand each other.

Note that everything you see would be contained in a single record, on a single line in the data file

Your image looks as if it is displaying the history of the races a horse has run in. This would make each line in the body of your image a separate child record.

Also, there will be no need to archive any records.

If that is the case, at what point will you do the import? Also, does that mean the records for that horse will be deleted after each time it has been viewed?

[mlqa]

Re: Field Limitations Question

Hi Mike,

I hope that we dont misunderstand each other.Your image looks as if it is displaying the history of the races a horse has run in. This would make each line in the body of your image a separate child record.If that is the case, at what point will you do the import? Also, does that mean the records for that horse will be deleted after each time it has been viewed?

The image is indicative of how the data is normally displayed, nothing more. The format that the data is provided in, by the vendor, is just as I said; one record (row) holds all of the data for a horse. The next record would hold all of the data for the next horse, etc. The complete vendor data file would contain a record for every horse running in every race, at one particular track, on one particular day. I believe they format the files that way because it wouldn't be practical to provide them as a relational database.

My application would simply Import the data file as a single, flat-file table, and then my custom display forms would display a view similar to the layout in the image above. However, my view(s) will contain less data than above, some new calculations, and some color coded conditional backgrounds. That view would encompass all of the horses in a single race. The data need not be saved because it's only used for the one day. If it was necessary to view the data again, just Import that day's file again.

So, apparently, I need to create an Import Operation that will open the data file and then parse the data as it Imports just the fields I desire into a single table. Now whether that data has to go into an existing table, or a new table remains to be seen, as I probably won't get Alpha Five until later this weekend. Until I actually have the product it's probably not fair to be asking too many questions here so I'll refrain until I'm ready to roll.

Thanks for your help - I may well be seeking further assistance in the near future. My Alpha Five brain hasn't been used for at least a dozen years, and from what I remember, it didn't work too good back then.

~Mike

[MikeC]

Re: Field Limitations Question

The field limitation is not the only potential issue you may run across. If the amount of data in each field is great...or many memo fields maybe, you might run into another limit of types in the import where the import will stall out when the limit is reached. If this happens, there is an easy work-around with a double-import into two emptied tables (break the fields into two or more parts and include the link field with both imports.) and then post one to the other using whatever is being used for linkage--hopefully there is something like this even in your flat file...

If no linkage then a more specific work-around would have to be somehow devised.

I mention this mainly to let you know that just because something may not work or an error presents itself, most times it can be worked out....some here love these types of puzzles. Well, when a solution is obtained that is! :)