multiuser application(please help)

Posted in 2001

samir BADAOUI — Fri, 09 Feb 2001 02:06:16 — source: Informix-list mailing list archive (1991-1998)

<html> Hi all, my question is about data integrity in the client/serveur environnement. My client is a visual basic application and my serveur is nformix 7.30. What is the best way to manage multiuser application. Actually the company who want to develope the visual basic application propose to add 2 fields in every table, a serial number to identify the row and a time stamp to identify the last time the record was created or updated. but I don't think that is a good idea. please have you any proposition for a best way to manage multiuser activity in this case ??? thanks for any suggestion  <hr>Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at <a href="http://www.hotmail.com">http://www.hotmail.com</a>. </html>;

↪ replying to samir BADAOUI

Andrew Hamm — Fri, 9 Feb 2001 14:50:16 +1100 — source: Informix-list mailing list archive (1991-1998)

Samir, please switch off HTML messages from your email program. For most of the readers on this newsgroup, it comes out looking like a complete mess of the internal HTML codes. Some people refuse to read HTML or MIME messages because it hurts their eyes and takes too long to read the message inside all the HTML instructions. >my question is about data integrity in the client/serveur >environnement. What is the best way to manage >multiuser application. > Informix will give you all the data integrity you need in a multi-user environment. But it's more than a 5 minute lesson to learn how to use it. You will need to take courses if you choose to use Informix - the same with any product really. You can also learn from books but it will be much quicker to take a course. Informix offer several very good courses covering a range of subjects. >Actually the company who want to develope the visual basic >application propose to add 2 fields in every table, >a serial number to identify the row and a time stamp >to identify the last time the record was created or updated. >but I don't think that is a good idea. > You are right. Some people store timestamps with records for auditing purposes, but a timestamp is just about the worst possible choice for identifying a record. Don't do it. A serial number is good for identifying some records which need some sort of numbering scheme, but it would be a really bad design choice to decide that all tables are identified and joined by a serial number only. It is much better to design proper primary keys for tables, where you can use a serial number for things like invoice numbers or any other suitable place. If you decide to use Informix or have any more specific questions about Informix, please don't hesitate to send them in.