Database Troubleshooting FAQs

See also:

Introduction

Troubleshooting flow chart + worksheet

How to troubleshoot damaged data

Database myths

Causes of data damage

How to repair

How to export/import

Troubleshooting FAQs

Tips for preventing damaged data

Inside the database

Database size

Windows tips

Q. I tried to open the database, but couldn't. Instead, I just got an error message. Why?

This error indicates either a problem with the file server or that the database has been badly damaged. If you can't open the database, then the file server probably thinks the database is in use by another program -- or is simply unreadable. Make sure everyone quits Clients & Profits, then try opening the database. If it still won't open, restart the server. If the database still won't open, replace it with a backup.

Q. A user just told me that last week she got a "bad pointer" error message when saving an A/P invoice. She continued working and since then everything has been fine. Should I be concerned?

Yes. A bad pointer, bad header or bad index error should not be ignored. If errors like this are left unchecked and people keep using the damaged data, the corruption can be serious -- and the database may become unusable. Data errors should always be resolved as soon as possible.

Q. Our damaged database was recently repaired. It seemed to be working fine for a while, but now we're having problems again. Why?

Without troubleshooting the cause of the damage, repairing the database solves only half of the problem. Whatever damaged the database will continue to affect it indefinitely -- it'll be an endless cycle of data problems and repairs. See Tips for Preventing Damaged Data.

Q. We're trying to repair our damaged database using Database Utilities, but it's been running for a very long time. Is this normal?

Possibly not. The repair tool in Database Utilities typically takes a long time to run -- about 15 minutes/mb (speed varies based on hardware). But if the repair function is stuck on a specific data file (i.e., JOBS, AR, etc.) for many hours, it's probably frozen. (Note: the COSTS file takes longest to repair since it is usually the largest.) This can happen if the database is being repaired on a fragmented or otherwise problematic hard drive. If so, check the computer's hard drive for bad blocks, fragmentation, etc. -- or try a different computer -- and run the repair again.

Q. We're constantly verifying/recovering jobs, tasks, costs, etc. Why does it only seems to correct problems temporarily?

That's because the true cause of the data problems isn't being found and fixed. Unless your system crashes while Clients & Profits is saving or posting, you should never have to verify/recover anything. But if your database is damaged, saving and posting won't work correctly every time -- that's the clue that there's real trouble somewhere in the system.

Q. How can I really know what damaged our database?

Be sure to talk to the users who were first affected by a particular error -- find out exactly what they were doing just before the error occurred (i.e., posting, saving, entering data, printing, etc.). Then look for any changes in the hardware or system software configuration, since something may have been installed or set up incorrectly. Use these facts to work backwards from the time the error happened, then look for patterns. You may not find the answer right away, but you'll eventually build a history that will tell the story.

Q. Our computer consultant says Clients & Profits must have damaged the database, because he says he's never had problems with files from other programs. Who do we believe?

If your consultant does not have experience supporting multi-user databases, then they're not going to understand the nature of relational databases like Clients & Profits. Because it is multi-user, Clients & Profits is distinctly different than commonly-used programs like Excel, Quark, Word, or Photoshop. There probably aren't many other programs where the same document is used day after day for years by many users at the same time. In most productivity applications, documents are created, saved, then opened again infrequently -- if ever. If these documents were to be damaged by a server's hard drive, you probably won't even know it. Also, the size of the Clients & Profits database is also much larger than the usual Excel or Word file. The sheer size of the database means it's a bigger target for hard disk problems and other errors. That's why you're more likely to see problems with programs like Clients & Profits.

Q. We've checked everything and there's nothing wrong with our hardware. What now?

First, look for user errors -- primarily the way they handle padlocks, system freezes, and end-of-day shutdowns. A user who shuts off or restarts their computer while Clients & Profits is still running can damage the database. Restarting or shutting down the file server while users are still running Clients & Profits can damage the database, too. Click here to see a list of common causes of damaged data.

Q. Are we outgrowing Clients & Profits?

That's unlikely. The software is being used every day in thousands of shops. The C&P database can store data for several years, depending on the shop's volume. As long as the server is adequate to handle the work load, it's difficult to outgrow Clients & Profits. For shops with more than 50 users, upgrading to Clients & Profits X: Enterprise Edition will provide an Oracle- or SQL Server-based systems that's more scalable and fault-tolerant.

Q. Our computer tech has run Norton Utilities on our file server and says it's ok. What now?

Disk tools like Norton Utilities check for specific problems with hard disks, but they're not foolproof. They won't find intermittent problems caused by bad RAM, network adapters, and other upcoming hardware failures. They also won't tell you if the data is being damaged by user actions, which is more common than not. The only way to determine the true cause of data corruption is to track each incident.

Q. How do we know that Clients & Profits isn't damaging the data?

It isn't likely because Clients & Profits doesn't tell the file server how or where to save data -- which is when corruption occurs. Clients & Profits simply sends the data to the server and says "save this", and then relies on the server to do its job.

Will installing the latest update fix the damaged data?

No. Databases are damaged when something irregular happens when changes to records are being saved. New updates to Clients & Profits always contain bug fixes that keep bad data from occurring, but that's unrelated to database damage. Since damaged data is caused by system and/or hardware problems, any C&P update won't make a difference.