Wildcard on index loopkups

[Christopher Yerry]

> So why can't you build the index at 2:05 AM on
Sunday?
> --
> JP

>    Because the backups are running.

>    It's not one index but rather indexes (indexes?)
> at multiple plants all over the country with cross-
> linked key and index files and other obstacles.


Mike -

To do this you are going to have to have a plan. 
The first part of the plan thou needs to be that that
company you are working for needs to take you
seriously; They are not. Secondly You are looking for
one almighty fix .. Not going to happen.

1) - Have a plan
2) - Sell the plan to the corporation
3) - Understand you are as important as the rewrite
team because if the company goes under waiting for the
re write because this isn't done there is nothing to
re write.
4) Never sell yourself as the less important fix it
guy. You are mission critical !!! They are not
listening

Lets break 1 down.

I  You will need to look at all the tables and
determine what tables are being used regularly and
what ones don't really change (look at the date - do a
dir {or} (find /appl/filepro) on all the key and data
files put them in a spread sheet and sort them by
date.
You will now know what cannot be changed during the
(perceived as constant) work week. And what can be
done offline.

II   Get a copy of each filepro environment locally
(on you machine if possible or set up a temporary
directory on your server). 
***   Make a copy of the entire /filepro directory ***
that means all of it!!!!
Add your fields cnage add indexes and see how it
effects the updated table and everything else. The
concept you have "cross linked fields / indexes" is
not possible this is filepro not SQL / Oracle. Every
table stand on its own with the ability to "lookup" to
another table. 
 *** Record the indexes and record the field(s) and 
     lenghts. 
 *** Record the indexes and record the field(s) and 
     Lengths.
            (no I'm not stuttering) 
Remember all indexes are contiguous; this isn't that
much info.  keep this information in your spreadsheet.
It will help you do this in case something happens
(always be prepared). Do a re index with the -A
parameter, they will all be updated

III  Attack the processes and reports one a time. This
can probably be done after the the tables / indexes
have been updated / changed.
 
IV   Look at the updating processes as a separate
project from the table updates. Hey you are working
without these fields and indexes now !! Add them in a
thought out manner 
  AKA "This process will need first so I need to do
this process before that one"

V   you will need to track the time it take to do each
of these steps

Put this together as a wee written document and
explain to upper management
   1 - What has to be done 
   2 - You have done this in a test environment (do it
twice) and you can assure them it will not be a
disaster (Build confidence, this will be the most
important step. Trust me they have done this before
without doing these steps and the story of that update
disaster is legend)
   3 - DON'T DO THIS ALONE !!!
   4 - Come with 2 plans. 
          - You can squeeze this into your allot ed 8
minutes a week and it will take (your lifetime)
          - We can take everything off line for 3
hours and get it all done and you will be happier when
its done.
  
You may find is you do this research you can do the
things that have to be done off line during the backup
time and the rest can be done later.

This doc had better be 5 + pages long plus a title
page and the spreadsheet. Your telling us this is big,
make sure they know it too! This is a big update and I
do not think you have convinced the upper management
this is important and necessary and the will be paying
you to fix the mess when it all fails because it
wasn't done. Remember Fixing disasters after telling
them it was going to happen and they ignored you is
$150 / hr

Don't ever sound like chicken little sound informed
and knowledgeable... because after you have done all
this you will be.

Don't do this update unless you have done these steps
it will be a mess, you will encounter things you never
thought of, or you may loose your job for being
careless. I have done updates that were huge and
complicated and took 6 months of meetings and 100 page
documents took 72 hours to complete and went perfectly
and I have done 1 hour updates that have put companys
out of buisness because they did't follow the steps
here. They all require the same amount of testing and
thought. The biggest disasters were the "this will be
easy I know exactly what could go wrong". Those people
and working nights at 7/11. Because they didn't work
these through.

Christopher Yerry
President CM Software

Minniapolis / ST Paul
715/441.6175



		
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