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
|
Your
database can have bad data without the database being damaged.
This leads us to a few common misconceptions about Clients & Profits
that are worth clearing up.
How do I know my database has been damaged?
Depending on the seriousness of the damage, Clients & Profits shows error messages whenever it detects a problem. The program constantly checks the integrity of your database as you use it. If its built-in error checking (the "Quick Check") finds a problem, it shows an error message such as bad pointer, bad header, etc. These messages shouldn’t be ignored since they indicate something’s wrong that can’t be worked around.
In the case of most errors, you can still use other parts of the database. But don't be fooled, because these problems don't go away. For example, if you get a bad header warning when saving a purchase order, other users on your network won't stop working. But the problem is there for anyone else trying to add a PO. So when a database crashes, you must find and fix the problems immediately, or you may lose the entire database permanently. Damaged data does not fix itself, and will worsen over time.
Damaged database myths explained: Multi-user relational databases like
Clients & Profits work differently from document-based programs like
Quark, Excel, Photoshop, and others. Because the one C&P database file is shared constantly among many users, it has more stress than other documents you're using -- and is also more vulnerable to hardware and network problems. The Database Myths page highlights some of the common misconceptions about the Clients & Profits database.
| Damaged database
myths explained: Multi-user relational databases like
Clients & Profits work differently from document-based
programs like Quark, Excel, Photoshop, and others. Because
the one C&P database file is shared constantly among
many users, it has more stress than other documents you’re
using -- and is also more vulnerable to hardware and network
problems. The Database Myths page
highlights some of the common misconceptions about Clients & Profits
database. |
Since minor forms of data damage will not cause a Quick Check error, always
be aware of inconsistencies in your database. Make sure every user knows
to report any odd behavior or error messages to the system manager. Changes
in response time, costs or billings that disappear, changes not being saved,
etc. can be an early indicator of data damage. By addressing this situation
early, even before getting a damaged data message, you will be saving yourself
and your company from a more severe problem.
First Learn What Went Wrong
Be especially aware of error messages if you’re on a network. No error
should be ignored, since infrequent errors can accumulate into a big (and
possibly unrecoverable) crash. Users should report errors promptly, since
they are often the only way the system managers know there’s a problem.
Get the facts — questions to ask
What was the first error message? Discovering the original
error message gives valuable clues to the cause of a problem. Since
one error usually leads to more errors, later messages may be different—and
possibly misleading.
Is the problem reproducible? Can the user cause the
error to happen again? If not, then it was probably a temporary
problem that isn’t as serious. But if the same action
(like printing a job list) won’t work repeatedly, then
the database is seriously damaged.
What was happening when the problem occurred? If an
error occurred during batch posting, for example, we know
that the user’s computer was saving records. Since saving
involves the hard disk, it points to drive problems as the
cause. But if the user’s computer was idle and the system
crashed, the hard disk probably wasn’t in use at the
time—pointing to some other cause.
What were you working on just prior to getting the error? Try
to determine just what had been happening in the hour prior
to the error. If things suddenly got slower prior to the
error, for instance, this could indicate a network communication
problem that was building up until it finally snapped.
Does the same problem happen to everyone? If a report
won’t print on your computer, for example, can the report
print on someone else’s? If so, this means there’s
a problem with your computer, and probably not the database.
If the same problem happens on any computer you choose, then
it’s a database problem.
Does the problem occur on a local
database? If the database were
copied from the server to a user’s hard drive and opened,
does the problem occur? If not, that’s an indication of a
server or network problem.
Was there a recent change in the server, network, etc? It’s
not uncommon for someone to change some hardware or software
and unknowingly affect Clients & Profits. If so, the
previous configuration will need to be restored and evaluated
for compatibility.
| Tip - Keep
in mind that some problems can’t be duplicated: Don’t
force your computer consultant, MIS person, or the
C&P Helpdesk to explain every error. Intermittent
problems are difficult to troubleshoot without lots
of information. If a one-time event occurred that
trashed your data (like a power spike from a lightning
strike), there’s no way to reproduce it -- or
to even prove it happened. The point isn’t to
find blame, but to solve the problem and get back
to work. |
Next Page: Database Myths |
