Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!ahmcs!alan
From: alan@ahmcs.uucp (Alan Mintz)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re: DBASE IV for Sun 4 questions (long)
Message-ID: <209@ahmcs.uucp>
Date: 22 Jun 91 00:29:54 GMT
References: <8331@einstein>
Organization: Micro-Quick Systems, Inc.
Lines: 34

In article <8331@einstein>, banner@einstein ( infotech) writes:
$ 
$     I am currently evaluating DBASE IV for Sun and have run into some
$ "interesting" problems. Hopefully some kind soul will have some...

$     Some interesting results occur when you try the following:
$ 
$ 	-set exclusive on
$         -use a database
$            [ doesn't have to be indexed, choose one of the sample
$              databases if you wish... ]
$         -do a "dir" at the dot prompt
$         -note the file size of the database you are using
$         -mark several records for deletion 
$         -pack the database
$         -again do a "dir" at the dot prompt
$             The number of records will have decreased accordingly, but the
$             file size will remain the same.

Like other xBase products on multi-user systems, the size field of the dir
command does not seem to be accurate until the file is closed. Under dBaseIV
for VMS, this size field does not change after deleting records and packing.
Also, adding new records shows a size much greater than the real size once the
file is closed.

$         -use a different database with a like structure
$         -append from your first database
$         -all records from the first database will appended _including_ the 
$         ones that were marked for deletion...

I could not duplicate this under VMS, for what that is worth. Sounds like a
pretty serious problem!
-- 
< Alan H. Mintz  | alan@ahmcs.mq.com | ...!uunet!ahmcs!alan >