Why?

[George Simon]

-----Original Message-----
From: Kenneth Brody [mailto:kenbrody at bestweb.net]
Sent: Thursday, July 01, 2004 4:13 PM
To: George Simon
Cc: filePro mailing list
Subject: Re: Why?

George Simon wrote:
>
> As I said, I'll help in anyway I _can_, but that excludes sending fp
support
> the files.  I _can't_ do that.
> I've explained why to Ken.  His response to me was to do something that
> would take me days to do (if I understood him correctly) and I do not have
> the time right now.
> You are right, though, I've already spent so much time on this that I'd
hate
> to see it go to waste.
[...]

Well, the question comes down to "how much can we eliminate from the
testbed while still causing the crash and not violating any NDAs?"

Does it crash on the first output record?
No, it only crashes when the first record meeting the criteria for the
called table is executed.


Your command line shows you running sort/select processing.  If you
replace it with:

      If:  @RN = "nnnn"  ' nnnn == the record that crashes
    Then:  select

Does it still crash?
There are several records that would make it crash.  I altered the selection
table to read:
If @rn="24"	'one of the records that would make it crash
Then: select
If:
Then: end
It selects the one record and crashes.


You say that it crashes when called from automatic, so can you eliminate
the output processing, which will not yet have been executed for this
record, and have it still crash?
Do you mean like create a processing-only format that does nothing and has
not code?
I'll try it.
Yes, it also crashes.  I created a processing-only format called "donothing"
and I replaced "compare" with "donothing" on the menu line.  The selection
table is still selecting via @rn="24".  The record gets selected and
crashes.


If you can eliminate these processing tables, then there are only two
left -- automatic and the called table.  If you cannot eliminate them,
then obviously you'll need to keep one or both of them.
I eliminated the output processing table (compare).  What other tables do
you want to eliminate?
Right now, only the automatic, choosepe tables are running.  Donothing has
no code.


How many lookups are in the processing tables that are left?
In automatic processing?  Let me count... 13.
What if I just remark out those lookups and the lines associated with them?
Is that going to affect what you are trying to determine?


My suggestion was to replace all of the lookups here with lookups that
use R=("1") rather than whatever you're currently using.

Does it still crash?

If we've gotten this far, then all you need is a very minimal set of
files to send -- the main file map, output format, the processing tables
that are actually still being used, and a 1-record key file, plus the
maps and 1-record keys for any lookups.

Of course, at some point in the above sequence, you may not be able to
get the crash anymore, in which case some other plan of attack may be
needed to continue eliminating NDA-covered stuff that may remain.

You say the entire file set takes 600MB.  Does it really need that much
data to duplicate the crash?

No, the entire application takes approx. 600 MB of data, some of which is
under NDA.  That data is not necessary to create the crash.  It is just
easier for me to send you the entire thing than to have to pick and choose
which files and data I should send you.