What are the pros and cons between linking and embedding OLE objects

[aclayborne]

Also how do I update or change the value of a general field.

 

[dgrewe]

I can not think of any pros only cons.<br><br>One problem as I see it is speed / performance / size of file.<br>The general field is stored in the dbf.fpt file. It is just another relation the database has to maintain and 99% of the moves around records never involve looking at the general field so you just move pointer in the ftp file for nothing.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br>Most people will say, with the speed of processors and hard disk why worry about it.<br>Fine, one &quot;do-not-worry-about-it&quot; may be OK, but when adding up all the &quot;do-not-worry-about-its&quot; the speed of the application suffers.<br><br>The main problem is data corruption.&nbsp;&nbsp;Now, I know no one has ever had a file server crash on them with a database and memo field open.&nbsp;&nbsp;After all server crashes with NTs' are so RARE.&nbsp;&nbsp;The database header becomes corrupt and the link to the fpt file is contaminated and can not be repaired. You lose every link from the database to the memo field.&nbsp;&nbsp;If you can afford the down time to restore from a backup with the lose of all data since the backup, then you are OK.&nbsp;&nbsp;If the information is critical then you better have a mirrored server system set up with Big $$$$ to maintain it.<br><br>I use a character field to store the drive:/directory/filename. I then use a DDE / RUN call into the application that is associated with the file.&nbsp;&nbsp;A simple if file() statement prevents displaying a blank screen or an error message.&nbsp;&nbsp;A simple scan with the if file() in a nightly maintenance program keeps a check on the links and it can produce a report of missing files.<br><br>For the record, I have redundant mirrored servers with mirrored drives on both servers,&nbsp;&nbsp;A Daily Tape Backup and a Nightly Server to Hard Drive back up.&nbsp;&nbsp;Yes I've been called paranoid, but when it cost you $10,000 per hour of down time is it really being paranoid??<br><br>Any Way That Is One Mans Opinion. <p>David W. Grewe<br><a href=mailtoave@internationalbid.net>Dave@internationalbid.net</a><br><a href= > </a><br>