> What I do im my consistancy check is rather simple.
> The idea is this:
>
> Register your metadata through a stringlist (the way it displays in
> your IBConsole).
> The DBMaster will parse through this SQL design script and organise
> the data.

A lot of this is schemacache, isn't it?

> In case you need to take some precautions, you may register
> the "Before" and "After" event routines on:
>
> TableCreate,TableDrop,TableAlter,FieldAdd,FieldDrop,TriggerCreate,
> TriggerChange,ExternalFunctionDeclare,ExternalFunctionDrop,
> IndexCreate,IndexDrop,ForeignKeyAdd,ForeignKeyDrop,ViewCreate and
> ViewDrop.
>
> In many cases, this should mean you can start your utility, push
> the "Update DB" and "Preview DB Document" button because the DB is
> already designed in your app.source. And the update doesn't affect
> more than what you specify. It should cover most but's and maybe's.

Not something I would ever put in client applications. I
either give them a new database and a pump button, or I do
it myself ( if they are paying for maintenance ! ).

> I am alone though. If I do this whole thing all by myself, I will
> have to claim bankruptcy very shortly. That means all I can do is to
> approximate this to what I need for my current projects, and that is
> not good enough for IBO.

I does sound something of a half way house. I have to manage
which versions of library are needed on a particular site,
what modifications to the database are needed, and their
current bug list. An automatic update old database to new
database sounds too dangerous to me. I need the backup and
restore, and the existing pump so I see no advantage in
modifing the existing database. If there is a major 'cockup'
then I like to be able to go back to the stable state and
start again. Yes I know you just restore the backup, but
that does not help isolate the problem.

> I don't know how this sounds to you professionals, maybe you have
> already thought of this and wasted the idea.

I keep saying it - how do you handle the problems due to
data errors that you have not seen in the test database -
there always seem to be the odd record that causes a
problem, and its how you recover from that that I see as the
problem. At least with the pump you can isolate a problem
and deal with it. With changes to the metadata, the
underlying data can become unaccessable and then you have
the problem that I am trying to avoid.

Any tool like this is a development tool not a client
application and therefore if limited interest when there a a
number of ways of handling it.

Geoff tool may also have the same limited appeal, BUT backup
and restore safely accessable is the one thing that is
missing at present.

--
Lester Caine
-----------------------------
L.S.Caine Electronic Services