Is it Possible?????

[mbrightaus]

Exporting of records while running in multi user mode can corrupt a database.

I have had an instance where one of my users was exporting e-mail addresses from a database while the system was running in multi user mode, and ever since then - I have had all sorts of trouble with the system. Database corrupt and layouts screwed. Other users were doing their normal daily routine - however the system was slower than normal while this export procedure was being carried out.

I think I have now fixed it.

Can anyone advise me if this is so.

Regards

Michael

[LiveOak]

I'd be surprised if that was the cause. Were you hosting with FM Server or a client copy of FM?

-bd

[mbrightaus]

Actually - Host/Client sharing over fast ethernet - No FM Server at this stage - Maxium 4 users.

The server is being overworked but one has to make do with the tools available when setting up a new business.

I do know that there maybe many reasons for this however we need to explore every instance/avenue.

My career has been involved using many of the much larger database systems and 4gl's of the world and most of these rely heavly on the stability of the database itself. 30 years actually. But I always remember Murphy.

The system was working very well upto the stage where the user executed the export feature of FM. Maybe a coincidence I know - but maybe not either.

If we look how the host/client arrangement works with FM maybe at the time when a client is clearing cache and the export feature is underway - there maybe a conflict. This is what I was trying to find out from the world of FM experts.

OR do we only run the export feature in single user mode. - What happens if all users are working in the same database and one is exporting at the same time - can this cause problems?? - besides the obivious one of slow performance.

Regards

Michael

[Steven H. Blackwell]

The ***FAR*** more likely cause of the corruption is running these databases in peer to peer mode over a WAN. Peer to peer connections can cause all sorts of difficulties, especially if something untoward happens to the machine acting as the hosts or if the files are accessed via OS file sharing. I hope you are using the FIle-->Open-->Hosts method of opening these files as a guest.

Old Advance Man

[mbrightaus]

Back Again!!!

LAN - NOT WAN yet anyway - Clients are using File > Open Remote > Local Host and selecting the share from the list provided. I assume this is what you meant.

Works well and very fast normally - except for the other day when all this happened.

The export function was actually carried out on a client - not the server.

Anyway - I have re-constructed the layouts and all seems to be back in order - but I would like to know what can screw up layouts when everything in the layout has been locked.

Is there any routine to check the condition of a database rather than relying on the Recover facility which only looks after the data aspect anyway?:

The more I think about it - is to have the layouts in a separate database altogether and the data in another. (Doubling the number of Databases)and would take sometime to re-engineer.

Regards

Michael