Merge or Rebuild Database?

[mindonstrike]

I see Dale snuck a post in there so..uh..yea..what Dale said.

[Skybird74]

Mindonstrike - thank you for your explanations. That actually helped me to understand more how the program actually works. However, my new songs folders really does hold only new songs, not the edited ones. I edit kma's using Hoster, so the files never get moved from their original place. Whenever I edit a file and then pull it up with the Search feature, it immediately shows the edits I made.

I think DDouglass' answer is what I was looking for.

Thanks to everyone for your help! I feel better now about copying all my kma's onto my new laptop without worrying about any getting deleted in the process of building a new database.

[gd123]

Seems everyone missed the fact that you were using ONE and THE SAME HARD DRIVE, which happens to be external. I don't see how the "Folders" would have changed.

When you are NOT using separate Computers to SIMULTAENOUSLY import Discs, which IS the case here, this is, "In reality," what happens when you Rebuild a database and, during the rebuild, "duplicate" BookIDs are found.

Under the above scenario, it would be impossible to have Dupicate BookIDs. So what is happening is, Hoster found a degraded Header and does not process/add the Song to the Songs.MDB. So, now, you have to reimport the Song.

So, one could conclude that ReBuilding the Songs DB would be something that one doesn't want to do lightly.

I haven't rebuilt my Songs Db in over a year.

If you DO NOT rebuild the DB, Hoster will PLAY any Song that has a Degraded Header, because Hoster uses the Songs.MDB to queue the Song. And, since the Song is STILL in the Songs.MDB, by not having REBUILT the DB, it PLAYS.

This is why I suggested to, and, I don't know how to make it more simple, copy the Songs.MDB.

[Skybird74]

Thanks. That makes a whole lot more sense & simplifies it. You're right. Just copy the Songs.mdb and you know what you've got.

I'm wondering if I did a rebuild a long time ago, instead of a Merge, when I was still learning Hoster, because I know there are some files missing that I used to have. Is it possibled there are one of those duplicates that just doesn't show up in the database? Am I making any sense?

[mindonstrike]

Originally Posted by skybird

when I first got Hoster I also did my editing on the desktop, and that information did not always show up on my Show Computer, but when I do my editing on my Show computer all the information is there

Since Skybird has edited on both computers simply using a copy of songs.mdb will only trade one problem for another. If Skybird is using a single external HD between two computers, then yes, using a copy of the database would be the quicker easy way to keep up-to-date, but the problems need to be fixed first.

Nowhere in Skybird's posts do I find any indication of a "degraded header". It all seems to boil down to the fact that when using merge, Hoster will not re-read the header for a kma that is already in the database.

So, one could conclude that ReBuilding the Songs DB would be something that one doesn't want to do lightly.

I haven't rebuilt my Songs Db in over a year.

Building the database is a read-only operation, it make zero changes to the KMA's,it only reads the changes that she made in the edit songs screen. When I'm beta testing Hoster I will sometimes rebuild the database several times a day. It's just not that big of a deal, and since it is a read only operation, Skybird can keep a copy of the old songs.mdb (as I noted in my earlier post) and replace the new one if there is a problem.

Sam

[Skybird74]

[quote=mindonstrike;66291]Since Skybird has edited on both computers simply using a copy of songs.mdb will only trade one problem for another. If Skybird is using a single external HD between two computers, then yes, using a copy of the database would be the quicker easy way to keep up-to-date, but the problems need to be fixed first.

To clarify, yes I only used a single external HD between two computers, meaning all my kma songs are on the external HD. And, yes, I edited using 2 different computers, with Hoster on each. However, the MDB is in the Hoster folder of the C: drive of the respective computer. So, when I edited on 1 computer, the mdb on that would be updated. Is that correct? If editing only changes the header of the kma file that on the external drive, then how does the MDB on the C: drive know that I've edited a song?

So, it sounds to me like if editing actually changes the kma header itself, when I copy ALL kma files to 1 folder on my new computer & rebuild the MDB, the new MDB should show ALL songs including all edits, regardless of which computer I used to edit the individual songs. Is that right?

[gd123]

Since Skybird has edited on both computers simply using a copy of songs.mdb will only trade one problem for another. If Skybird is using a single external HD between two computers, then yes, using a copy of the database would be the quicker easy way to keep up-to-date, but the problems need to be fixed first.

Yes, at this point, since KMAs were Edited when the External Drive was attached to the Home Computer, the Songs.MDB was updated with those EDITS.

At that point, the Songs.MDB was not copied to the Laptop.

Then, it was decided to use the Laptop to EDIT KMAs, which updated info to the Laptop's Songs.MDB.

At this point, you have two separate Songs.MDBs with, possibly, different information in them.

So, you have no choice but to Rebuild your DB on which ever Computer you choose. Then, you can copy the newly rebuilt DB to the other Computer.

So, when I edited on 1 computer, the mdb on that would be updated. Is that correct?

Yes

If editing only changes the header of the kma file that on the external drive, then how does the MDB on the C: drive know that I've edited a song?

Because EDITING a KMA (Song) updates the Songs.MDB automatically, but ony for that Computer. I would suggest using only ONE Computer to do your EDITING.

So, it sounds to me like if editing actually changes the kma header itself

This is correct.

when I copy ALL kma files to 1 folder on my new computer & rebuild the MDB, the new MDB should show ALL songs including all edits, regardless of which computer I used to edit the individual songs. Is that right?

Correct

After you have copied all your KMAs to the new Laptop Internal HD and built the DB, in the Future, I would use a file utility program that has the ability to compare files. Then, only newer/changed files would be copied over verses having to copy ALL the KMAs.

Nowhere in Skybird's posts do I find any indication of a "degraded header".

Unless Shybird didn't use the SAME Folder designations in the Build Songs Database Window on Both Computers, I can't see how there would be Truly Duplicate BookIDs, which is what she was concerned about.

Therefore, during the rebuild of a DB on ONE EXTERNAL DRIVE sharing known and SAME Folders, in each Computer, Duplicate BookIDs are NOT possible. If "Duplicate" BookIDs are flaged, by Hoster, during a Rebuild, and listed in a Duplicate BookID TXT File, what would be the Alternative explanation in a "NOT Possible" scenario. The ONLY explanation is that Hoster found Songs that it COULD NOT PROCESS. The ONLY thing Hoster READS is the HEADER during a REBUILD...if Hoster CAN'T READ the HEADER, then the HEADER IS DEGRADED.

One thing for sure, if the SONG ain't listed in the Songs.MDB...it CAN'T BE PLAYED.

[Skybird74]

GD123, Thank You so much for taking the time to answer each of my questions separately. You figured out my problem exactly and I will follow your advice. What "file utility program" would you suggest that I can use to compare my new MDB with the old one?