MusicMaster Blog
Making Your Database Lean and Mean! posted on November 2nd, 2015
By Marianne Burkett
As your database ages, you acquire archived histories. The older the database is in years, the more histories you add, and the larger your database becomes. Like “trimming the fat” from your steak or your belly, MusicMaster has a feature called Purge History/Trim.
You should check these settings today and make sure your database is running at optimum speed.
Go to Dataset/Schedule/Purge History. Allow it to calculate your active history and your archived history. Active history is what you can access via the Schedule editor.
In addition, make sure you are “Automatically” purging histories on the first screen you come to. If you don’t see a check mark in that Automatically Purge box, check that off. This is needed so your database doesn’t become bloated and sluggish.
Now for the “trim”: If your database is five, six or more years old, you may want to consider flushing out some of the archived histories. After all, you probably don’t go back years and years to see what you did in 2007.
Click on the Trim button. You can use the Automatic settings or do this manually. Keep as many years as you’d like, but I recommend two years in the archived histories. Run the Trim. When it is done, close the Purge History utility and head over to Tools on your Toolbar. From there check to be sure you’re the only person in the database. (Tools/User List). If others have the database open, ask them to please exit the software. Once you are alone in the data, run Tools/Purge.
This essentially “flushes” your database, reduces its size and makes it a lean mean fighting machine again.
Be sure to make a new backup under Tools/Backup when you are done.
Happy Scheduling!
If you have any questions or concerns contact your Music Scheduling Consultant.