How Macola uses PSQL. Strangeness in the enterprise!?!? :) 2

[jwurts]

I was wondering if any of the guru's out there could help clarify something about Macola and PSQL in my current setup. Our current setup has network shared files mapped to a drive letter from a Macola File Server/PSQL server. To start Macola the user launches Macola32.exe from the mapped network drive which initiates the Macola client. The client quickly flashes a PSQL logo then opens the Macola screen.

The strange thing is that on our live server the PSQL Server lists two databases: demodata and macola, however on my working backup server that I just created there is only one database: demodata. On the backup server I restored all the files from the macola75 directory, and all the data in the live version appears to be available.

This tends to lead me to believe that we are not actually using a SQL Database, but somehow handling database calls in a SQL format to flat files on the server. Is this how it's supposed to be? Is there someway that I can convert the data into the SQL Server's database engine and get rid of the flat files? It also seems that each client is accessing the files directly to get thier data, which I would rather have clients go through the SQL Server to get their data. If anyone can give me some tips on how to accomplish this I would appreciate it! Please let me know that you think!

Thanks,

Jodi Wurts

 

[MacolaHelp]

A lofty subject, to be sure. Macola uses btrieve in the transactional only mode, using API calls to the db. They don't do any relational DB stuff w/it, only w/MSSQL, not pSQL. You can create dbs in PCC for macola dbs & do relational calls, queries, updates, etc., but only through your own design. Macola itself doesn't use any of pervasive's relational stuff as they decided it was too difficult to maintain connectivity to 2 db engines. They opted, right or wrong, to hitch their wagon to the MS star.

 

[Rob7]

MacolaHelp is correct.
PSQL is really Pervasive's Btrieve database. It is ANSI SQL compatable allowing SQL statements to be made to it, but it is not a relational database.

Rob

 

[MacolaHelp]

jwurts: One other thought for you. Create a named database for macola on your backup server. The only default database created when you install pervasive and then macola is demodata. For the others, you must manually create & someone must have already done this on your production server if you have a db named macola. The pervasive database manager is pretty powerful. You can perform file updates, etc. & in a fraction of the time it takes for MS Access, for example. Of course, everyone's implementation of SQL is slightly different, so syntax that works in MSSQL doesn't necessarily work w/psql, but you'll figure it out if you have some dba or programming expertise. Don't forget, tho, while you are on psql for your db manager, the macola internal programming calls go to the btr files, not to the named db on the server.