|
|
|||||
 Introducing PTWin32 |
If
you thought this was going to be yet another article harping on the virtues of
regular backups you’re wrong.
Although…since you brought it up, we might as well remind you that
making regular backups of your data is incredibly important. A backup can
sometimes be the only thing between you and catastrophic data loss. But that’s
not what this article is about. This
article is about old records with decreasing worth that collect in PTWin32 over
time. It’s easy to forget about stuff you aren’t working on anymore.
Completed or rejected records fall off your radar screen as new projects come
in. Eventually you have records stretching back so many years that the bulk of
your data consists of records you rarely consult. Eventually
these mature records get in the way of working with your active data. Selecting
an active record from a Browse listing requires that you sift through all
of the inactive records. A Search for permits associated with a parcel
might bring up records from the 1950’s along with your current project. And
more importantly, every record you add to a database program like PTWin32 means
that doing the Search takes longer because there are more records to
test. In the beginning you don’t notice the performance loss but as your
tables grow it can become significant. The
PTWin32 Options menu contains a selection called Archive Data.
Users with System Administrator Access can execute this command to create
an archival data set that will select records based on a date you supply. Records
dated prior to the date you supply will be extracted from your active PTWin32
data set and placed in an archival directory beneath your \PTWin32\Data
directory. Before
you archive you should check your data by running a Verify All routine
from the Table Repair utility program included with PTWin32. You should
also make a backup of the pre-archived data and make sure no other users are in
PTWin32. Once
you have archived your older data into another data set you can load it into
PTWin32 at any time by executing Open File from the File menu.
While you are working with your archival data the panel behind PTWin32’s main
toolbar will be lime green. Once you change back to the standard PTWin32 data
set the panel will return to its normal color.
|
||||
 |
|||||
