Main -> Documentation -> Database Builder – Newton -> Creating a New SiteSearch Database -> Building a SiteSearch Test Database -> Updating a Database

Updating a Database

You need to update your database using the Open SiteSearch Database Builder 4.0 software when the database is first created and every time you want to add, delete, or replace records in the database. When updating a database, you will use the SiteSearch Database Operations Tool (SSDOT), a menu-driven interface that accesses the database utility programs to build and maintain SiteSearch databases. SSDOT calls the necessary utility programs to convert the raw data files to BER files and to test the integrity of the resulting BER files. The utility programs then extract, sort, and add the index terms to the five physical database files that were created during the initialization process. At this time, any sparse indexes that were defined in the database description (.dsc) file are created as well.

If at any stage of the update the database proves too small to hold the data, it will be grown and the build process restarted at the appropriate point. Warning messages are ignored, but errors not related to the size of the database will cause the update to halt. Updates are time-consuming, so they are run in the background.

Requirements

To update a database within SSDOT, you should have completed the following tasks:

Note:

The database registration and initialization processes are only completed once during the first database build. These processes are only repeated if you intend to erase and rebuild the entire database, including the physical database files.

To update your database, you will also need to know the full path name of your source data files. If you have SGML-formatted data, you will also need the full path name of your database tag definition (.dtd) file.

Procedure

Start the SSDOT program and complete the following steps to update a database within SSDOT.

1. Select "3" from the Main Menu screen and press Enter at the command prompt (">") to move to the Database Creation and Maintenance screen.

2. Type "2" and press Enter on the Database Creation and Maintenance screen to update your database.

3. Enter the name of the database you want to update when prompted and press Enter. The database name should be the same name under which you registered the database. In most cases this will be a four-letter name.

4. SSDOT will prompt you for information according to the specific type of source data that you have for the database. In most cases, you will at least need to enter the full path name where your source data is located on the system and press Enter. If your data is in SGML format, you will also be prompted for the full path name of the corresponding .dtd file.

Note:

The conversion information that SSDOT prompts you for will depend on the conversion definition in the ssdot.ini configuration file and/or the conversion utility program.

After you have entered the information, SSDOT will confirm that the information is accurate. If you entered the correct information about the source data, type "y" and press Enter. If you need to make an adjustment to the information, type "n" and press Enter to repeat this step again.

5. Read the system messages displayed as SSDOT processes the update and press the space bar when prompted.

When SSDOT has finished updating the database, the following message will be displayed on the current menu screen:

[There are completed jobs]

6. View the jobs list by typing "j" at the command prompt and pressing Enter to ensure that the update was successful. You should receive a message similar to the following if your database was updated correctly:

---------- Active Jobs ----------

Update dbname [97/10/29 16:37:18]  (*FINISHED*, Exit Message = Okay)

See Also

Building a SiteSearch Test Database
Maintaining the Integrity of a SiteSearch Database
Registering a Database
Initializing a Database
Validating a Database
The SiteSearch Database Operations Tool


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