Wildcard on index loopkups

[John Esak]

Christopher,
A guick top-post to say there is some VERY good advice in your message
below.
JE

> -----Original Message-----
> From: filepro-list-bounces at lists.celestial.com
> [mailto:filepro-list-bounces at lists.celestial.com]On Behalf Of
> Christopher Yerry
> Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2005 6:02 PM
> To: filepro-list at lists.celestial.com
> Subject: RE: Wildcard on index loopkups
>
>
> > 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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