Can tables be modified while in use with ElevateDB?

Not having this ability is difficult with 50+ users.

John

> Can tables be modified while in use with ElevateDB?
You can´t change the structure while the table is in use.

Eduardo

John,

<< Can tables be modified while in use with ElevateDB?

Not having this ability is difficult with 50+ users. >>

Are you talking about altering the structure of the table, or just modifying
the contents of the table ?

--
Tim Young
Elevate Software
www.elevatesoft.com

>>Are you talking about altering the structure of the table, or just modifying
>>the contents of the table ?

Modifying the structure like we do with MS-SQL.  It's difficult to kick users out just to
add a field here and there.  With MS-SQL, we can add new fields on the fly - which works
great.

John

John,

<< Modifying the structure like we do with MS-SQL.  It's difficult to kick
users out just to add a field here and there.  With MS-SQL, we can add new
fields on the fly - which works great. >>

How often are you modifying the structure of your tables ?

--
Tim Young
Elevate Software
www.elevatesoft.com

How often are you modifying the structure of your tables ?

What does that have to do with anything?  It's enough that I am posting a message about it.

TIA,

John

John,

It actually has a lot to do with everything. If you are modifying your
table structures often enough to need this type of functionality it
could mean one of several things. First, it could mean that your data
modeling is flawed so you have to keep changing it. This IMHO is
neither good for you or your clients.

Conversely, your clients could be requesting additional functionality
to your product which you are obliging them with. This can be either
good or bad. If you change the structure of your tables based on a
request from one or more clients on a frequent basis you could end up
running into trouble by not adequately planning ahead. This would be
bad. If however you are giving your clients additional functionality at
their request and it has been adequately thought out and modeled with
the future in mind, that might be a good thing.

Please note, I did not say you are doing things in a bad way...you
might just want to examine why you are restructuring your tables
frequently enough to request the functionality you'd like to see from
Tim. FWIW, I was not aware that what you ask for could be done in MSSQL
but many of the DBMS's I have worked with (DBISAM, Advantage, NexusDB,
MySQL, other 4GLs like MS Access and others) do not have this
functionality. To me it seems a very dangerous practice,,,but that's
only my opinion.

--
Regards,
Jan Ferguson


John E wrote:

<<How often are you modifying the structure of your tables ?
<<
<<What does that have to do with anything?  It's enough that I am
<<posting a message about it.
<<
<<TIA,
<<
<<John
>>

John

Jan


I'm still trying to get my head round the way it might work in practice. There I am sitting quietly at my workstation feeding the computer and the database is restructured with one of the fields I was entering being deleted. What happens?

Or a new field is added, it can't be null, my screen has no reference to it. What happens?

It will be easier with non-data aware controls, but if they're data aware WOW!


Roy Lambert

Roy,

Agreed! That's why I told John that IMHO it was a dangerous practice
(other than during an announced update where the UI would be adjusted
as well.)

<< If however you are giving your clients additional functionality at
their request and it has been adequately thought out and modeled with
the future in mind, that might be a good thing.>>

Your points are what I had in mind here when I told John that if he was
giving his clients the additional functionality *AND* it had been
*adequately* thought out and modeled with the future in mind.
Yup...your scenarios could make things a bit dicey and a definite
subject to be discussed (with quite a few expletives) at the water
cooler.

--
Regards,
Jan Ferguson


Roy Lambert wrote:

<<Jan
<<
<<
<<I'm still trying to get my head round the way it might work in
<<practice. There I am sitting quietly at my workstation feeding the
<<computer and the database is restructured with one of the fields I
<<was entering being deleted. What happens?
<<
<<Or a new field is added, it can't be null, my screen has no reference
<<to it. What happens?
<<
<<It will be easier with non-data aware controls, but if they're data
<<aware WOW!
<<
<<
<<Roy Lambert
>>

Roy

John,

<< What does that have to do with anything?  It's enough that I am posting a
message about it. >>

I'm trying to understand what you're trying to accomplish.  EDB won't be
offering concurrent table alterations with active users or sessions, so that
is basically off the table.  I was going to offer an alternative path as
soon as I understood what your requirements were.

--
Tim Young
Elevate Software
www.elevatesoft.com