App Files Saved as XML and Working with New Versions

[battler.]

Mike,

I find what you're saying an interesting concept and I thank you for sharing your wisdom!

I'm not sure it would fit with the distributable standalone exes we produce where users would want to store configurations for later retrieval.  The customer would also want to share configurations with colleagues or with different organisations which is where the database solution perhaps falls down.

The database solutions you're referring to should ideally be constructed from LV VIs or toolkits.  What are these?  Or, does it mean interfacing with external databasing apps.

No luxury of an IT departmen to assist with this.  Only engineers.  Some links to your blog or to examples of apps using this method would be helpful.

[mikeporter]

LabVIEW VIs yes, the toolkit no. The Database Connectivity Toolkit (or DCT) massively complicates what is in reality a pretty simple process. For the blog, check the link in my signature.

For a discussion of the DCT, check: http://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW/Extracting-one-column-from-Database/m-p/547276#M257531

Mike...

[battler.]

Maybe I'm being slow but not yet convinced I need to use a database for storing and retrieving app configurations.

Can you show me that databases is another common practice for tackling this problem?? Much appreciated.  Does this require the customer to have MS Access?

As for planning such a file storage solution/structure; any references available for this?  Even if it's books..

Thanks.

[mikeporter]

Can I show you? Wake up and smell the coffee. This is a conversation I used to have 20 years ago. Show that databases are another common practice? Son, that horse left the barn a long, long time ago.

Look around and note that nearly all applications use a database of one form or another -- what is the windows registry but a database (admittedly a poorly designed proprietary database with little or no referential integrity, but a database none the less).

The world runs on databases. You are reading this right now thanks to the back end database that makes web sites in general, and this forums in particular, work.

No you don't have to have access installed. Remember that there really isn't any such thing as an "Access Database". The DBMS that access uses is called Jet and is built into windows.

There are many many books on all aspects of using databases. To put things in perspective, LabVIEW has been around for 29 years, databases have been the primary application being run on computers for more than twice that.

I references a couple books I really like on my blog.

Mike...