How to Merge Database objects (Not Data)

Topic

New Reply

I run a frontend/backend database setup here at work. When I alter the frontend and commit it to the server my process updates a version table in both the front and back end db’s. When a user opens their front end the version number is checked. When the backend has a higher version a new copy of the front end is copied from the server to the users machine. All this works fine.

There are now 2 of us making changes to the front end and there have been occasions when the current setup has overwritten work the other is doing.

I am looking for a way to either copy only new and newly modified objects to the front end copy on the server or create a new front end copy on the server that has the latest copy of all the objects put in it, checking both the current front end and the editor’s front end.

Of course all with the press of a button.

Does anyone know of a program that will do this sort of merge or what steps do I need to do to accomplish this? I dabble a bit in very basic visual basic so maybe I can write my own program if I knew what to do.

Reply | Quote

Replies

That quickly becomes a challenge when you have two or more developers working on a single front-end. One solution is to use a version control system so that a developer “checks out” an object (form, report, module…) in order to work on it. But there is a fair bit of overhead in doing that, so most small teams choose to work with one development copy and use a deployment process.

One solution a bit difference from yours is to run a small batch program, but rather than checking the back-end, simply download a new copy of the front-end each time the app is started. Takes a bit longer to start the app that way however. We’ve used a approach similar to yours where we track the version of components (front-end, security file, add-ins and ActiveX components) and download only the new ones. Also FMS Inc offers a similar commercial product called Total Access Startup. If you would like more details on either, please post back.

Reply | Quote

Thanks for the input Wendell, I like the idea of tracking the version of components. It would be only for us 2 developers when we “commit” a new version (whole frontend db) to the server so that he doesn’t overwrite changes I have made.

I think I need code that checks the version of components between my copy and the master copy on the server and either imports and replaces newer objects from the server or at least lists newer objects so it can be manually done before my copy becomes the new master front end copy on the server.

So more details please

Reply | Quote