database repairs

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jblander
Posts: 17
Joined: Thu Dec 16, 2004 6:25 pm

database repairs

Post by jblander »

(Jon, I hope it's OK that I take this to the streets to see if anyone else is experiencing this behavior, in the hopes it will help continue to narrow things down; plus you might not get barraged by so many emails from me!)

All,

I have been experiencing frequent need to repair my database, even after rebuilding/cleaning up the db as much as possible. Jon's been very helpful in helping me narrow down possible problems, but I thought it might be helpful to ask whether anyone else has been experiencing this, perhaps esp. since upgrading to v10.

I think that it's confined to some specific ways in which I'm using BE....particularly, I mostly import data from CSA Philosophers Index via text files and via Melvyl (CDL) using online searches in BE w/ Z39.50, copying the needed records to the db. I also regularly change imported records from "Book" to "Edited Book" (and subsequently frequently use "Replicate as Book Chapter and copy/paste "author" contents to "editor" contents) or "Journal Article" to "Book Chapter".

One of the regular strange behaviors I see that sparks my decision to "Verify" is that I'll see a duplicate of a record that I just finished editing in list view, even though I know there's only one record (and after repairing, there is only one record). Also, I regularly see that the reference type isn't updated in list view after editing, even though other fields are.

I've been actively adding records, deleting a few, and editing a good bit; but nothing extraordinary. (I have 388 references in the db currently, and no groups set up yet.)

Any similar experiences?
nicka
Posts: 226
Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2005 6:56 pm
Location: Oslo
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Post by nicka »

I have been experiencing frequent need to repair my database, even after rebuilding/cleaning up the db as much as possible.
Me too. Once every few days.
I also regularly change imported records from "Book" to "Edited Book" (and subsequently frequently use "Replicate as Book Chapter and copy/paste "author" contents to "editor" contents) or "Journal Article" to "Book Chapter".

Same here.
One of the regular strange behaviors I see that sparks my decision to "Verify" is that I'll see a duplicate of a record that I just finished editing in list view, even though I know there's only one record (and after repairing, there is only one record).
I've not seen this.
Also, I regularly see that the reference type isn't updated in list view after editing, even though other fields are.
I noticed this yesterday. I thought it might be a bug, but I'll try rebuilding.
I've been actively adding records, deleting a few, and editing a good bit; but nothing extraordinary. (I have 388 references in the db currently, and no groups set up yet.)
Same again, except that my database is up to about 1400 records.

I have also had corruption in tiny test databases, created by copying a few references out of my main database.

Hope that this information is useful in some way.
nicka
Posts: 226
Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2005 6:56 pm
Location: Oslo
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Post by nicka »

Also, I regularly see that the reference type isn't updated in list view after editing, even though other fields are.
I noticed this yesterday. I thought it might be a bug, but I'll try rebuilding.
To follow up on my comment: I've just tried all of the database maintenance options: reindex, rebuild (keeping user settings), rebuild, and finally repair, with no change to this. A new database with one record behaves properly.

Jon, if you are looking into this for jblander, would it help if I sent my database to you?
Jon
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Post by Jon »

Hi, no. I assume the list view does update properly if you click on another group and then come back to force the list to repopulate? If so, it's just that changing the ref type isn't forcing that (I'm sure it doesn't). This is an oversight, not a bug.

As far as db damage, if that is indeed happening frequently what I would really like to see is a before and after set of db's, with the exact steps I need to convert one (good) to the other (bad). That would be extremely helpful. Without that, though, I wouldn't be able to isolate the problem.

Jon
Sonny Software
nicka
Posts: 226
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Post by nicka »

Thanks for the reply, Jon. Changing group works and so does typing something in the search field.

Since this does not indicate database corruption I'll stop worrying about it.
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