What and what not do do while being served

[Joost Miltenburg]

So, the question is : What can we do to a file while it is being served ? ( and accessed by users )

Is it save to :

create/change tables ?

create/change occurrences ?

create/change fields ?

create/change scripts ?

create/change layouts ?

Or should this all be done off line ?

It would be great if fmi could give us a rebuilder for a file...

It will be great to read your feedback !!!

[David Jondreau]

There's two issues you're dealing with. One is working with a hosted file. The other is working with a file that users are using.

How much risk are you willing to take? How often do you back up? How forgiving are your users of being locked out? Of having the work they've done during the day wiped out? Of "weird" things happening on the database?

Changing tables/TOs/fields can lock users out of editing records (and you can be locked out of making schema changes as well).

Creating tables creates a default layout, which can be confusing to users.

Having the network "hiccup" while making those edits can ruin your entire file. If you backed up recently and users haven't made any changes or don't care about redoing work, go ahead.

Changing scripts that are actively being used can lead to problems. Scripts need to be debugged, if changes go live, and a user runs a faulty script you get faulty results.

Connection issues during script editing can result in script corruption.

Changing layouts can be confusing to users as elements move, and when you save layout changes, the tabs return to their default state for all users.

Connection issues during script editing can result in layout corruption.