I made a terrible mistake by messing with my real database before I made a copy. I now have a error showing up in every field and can not access my data. I have already tried a file recovery, didn't work.

If somebody can help me undo my mistake so I can access my data I would be greatful.

Claudinne

[email protected]

Did you delete the table from the Manage Database/Tables tab of the dialog, or a table occurrence (TO) from the Relationships part of the dialog?

If you deleted the TO then you've only deleted a *reference* to the table of data. Make a new TO in the Relationships area, and reset all the layouts to this new TO.

However if you deleted the table itself, then the *data* is gone. Permanently. ;(

You have learned a very hard lesson, but you are not the first to have made this mistake.

Rule one, always work on a copy of the database

Always anticipate Murphy's Law, and plan around it. (Whatever can go wrong, will)

In the future, stay away from using Recovery, unless the file will not open, and FileMaker says that it needs to be recovered. The Recover process is a Last Ditch step, and should be used ONLY to get your Data Out, and into a Pristine Copy of your Database.

From what you posted, it sounds like you might be able to save things, here are a few thing you might look at:

See if you deleted a TO (Table Occurrence), hopefully no.

It is more likely that you deleted a Relationship, changed a portal relationship, or changed a relationship, but didn't repoint the relationship to the Fields in the Portal.

Lee

Thanks for the reply, I ended up rebuilding everything from the ground up. Ugh, just finishing after four days of looking at data.

I will not make that mistake again.

Claudinne

Suddenly i have a sort-like problem: in one layout every record shows: table missing. The table itself exists. When i make a new layout on this table it shows all the records.

When i use <Manage Layout> to associate the table to the existing layout, it does not work. Still shows table missing.

My knowledge ends here. Anny suggestions?

Thanks

When i use <Manage Layout> to associate the table to the existing layout, it does not work. Still shows table missing.

Do the same for the fields on the layout. Or just delete them and place new ones instead.