Pace and Cap - Sartin Methodology & The Match Up - View Single Post

Ted Craven · 09-20-2010, 11:09 AM

Hi David,

Yes indeed there are some controls you can use to tell RDSS where to find its data (the following involves just a few details, so grab a coffee

).

This comes in 2 parts:

A) where downloaded TrackMaster files go (i.e. where the RDSS Data Archive is located)
B) where the RDSS Database is located

A) RDSS Data Archive location - RDSS downloads and subsequently looks for downloaded Trackmaster data files EITHER in subfolders of the \RDSS\DATA\ folder on the Drive where you installed RDSS (the default) - OR in the alternate folder defined in the RDSS.INI term: Datadir. Within either location, Past Performance files are stored in further subfolders by YEAR and TRACK.

Consider the downloaded data file for Woodbine September 19, 2010 'wo20100919rdss.zip' (nice day of races, BTW)! For example, normally you would install RDSS to the C: drive in the default RDSS folder, in which case the downloaded file is stored in c:\rdss\data\PP\2010\WO\ ...

You can tell RDSS that your downloaded files should reside in the alternate folder defined by 'Datadir' - close RDSS, open your RDSS.INI Configuration file (in the RDSS folder) with a text editor and add the following line just under the line which reads [General] (i.e. in the General Section):

Datadir=d:\olddata\

(don't forget that final \ character above!)

Save and close RDSS.INI and reload the RDSS software. Now when you download the above Woodbine file, it is stored to d:\olddata\PP\2010\WO\... - same with all your other downloaded Trackmaster cards, to their own respective subfolders. This then also becomes the location where RDSS looks when it Converts a downloaded file for use in the RDSS Database. If you ever want to revert to the default Data Archive location, just disable the Datadir term in your RDSS.INI file by placing a semi-colon in front of it: ;Datadir

B) RDSS Database location - the RDSS database is normally a file named DATA.DB and normally it resides in the \RDSS\DATA\ folder on your Drive C (e.g. c:\rdss\data\data.db). RDSS knows where to find the database file by checking the ODBC database connection info found also in the RDSS.INI file, in the [Database] Section. When you install RDSS, the installer creates an entry in your Windows ODBC list (Open Data Base Connections). The entry is named 'Rdss Database'. You can see the reference to this ODBC entry in the RDSS.INI [Database] Section, the line reading:

DBParm=ConnectString='DSN=Rdss Database'

You can relocate the RDSS Database file itself (c:\rdss\data\data.db) to your new data drive location (e.g. d:\olddata\data.db) by editing the 'Rdss Database' entry in the Windows ODBC Data Sources Administrator utility, which is usually found here: C:\Windows\System32\odbcad32.exe (you could make a Desktop shortcut for future access). Here are a few pictures:

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Double-click the Rdss Database entry (per the 1st picture above), then choose the Database Tab (the 2nd picture above). This records the name of the Database engine to use (in 'Start line' - don't touch this) and the location of the RDSS Database file (in 'Database file'), which normally is as shown: c:\rdss\data\data.db. Once you have moved that database file to your new data folder, edit the Database file entry to show that new location, e.g. d:\olddata\data.db.

Then click OK and close out of the ODBC editor, then restart RDSS. If all entries were correct, and your RDSS database file is indeed located in folder d:\olddata\ then all will work normally with the database. (RDSS still looks for its database according to the RDSS.INI file [Database] Section info ('Rdss Database'), and the Windows ODBC entry for 'Rdss Database' tells Windows where to find that particular database (i.e. its new location).

By following the above two A) and B) steps, you have moved ALL data used by RDSS (downloaded files and the database itself) from its default location to a new location, e.g. d:\olddata.

Hope that's what you were looking for! Give it a try and let us know how it works.

BTW, using the ODBC editor, you can set up a new separate entry for the RDSS Demo Database (e.g. in a file named c:\rdss\data\demo_data2010.db, or wherever else you might locate it) and a separate entry in your RDSS.INI [Database] section for it (e.g. 'Rdss Demodata 2010'), then switch between looking at the upcoming new extensive 2010 Demo Data, say for research purposes or if you are evaluating RDSS, AND the normal and typically smaller, main database of your own downloaded data and pacelines.

If anyone is interested in further instructions to manage this, just let me know.

cheers,

Ted

09-20-2010, 11:09 AM	#2
Ted Craven Grade 1 Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada Posts: 8,854	Hi David, Yes indeed there are some controls you can use to tell RDSS where to find its data (the following involves just a few details, so grab a coffee ). This comes in 2 parts: A) where downloaded TrackMaster files go (i.e. where the RDSS Data Archive is located) B) where the RDSS Database is located A) RDSS Data Archive location - RDSS downloads and subsequently looks for downloaded Trackmaster data files EITHER in subfolders of the \RDSS\DATA\ folder on the Drive where you installed RDSS (the default) - OR in the alternate folder defined in the RDSS.INI term: Datadir. Within either location, Past Performance files are stored in further subfolders by YEAR and TRACK. Consider the downloaded data file for Woodbine September 19, 2010 'wo20100919rdss.zip' (nice day of races, BTW)! For example, normally you would install RDSS to the C: drive in the default RDSS folder, in which case the downloaded file is stored in c:\rdss\data\PP\2010\WO\ ... You can tell RDSS that your downloaded files should reside in the alternate folder defined by 'Datadir' - close RDSS, open your RDSS.INI Configuration file (in the RDSS folder) with a text editor and add the following line just under the line which reads [General] (i.e. in the General Section): Datadir=d:\olddata\ (don't* forget that final \ character above!)* Save and close RDSS.INI and reload the RDSS software. Now when you download the above Woodbine file, it is stored to d:\olddata\PP\2010\WO\... - same with all your other downloaded Trackmaster cards, to their own respective subfolders. This then also becomes the location where RDSS looks when it Converts a downloaded file for use in the RDSS Database. If you ever want to revert to the default Data Archive location, just disable the Datadir term in your RDSS.INI file by placing a semi-colon in front of it: ;Datadir B) RDSS Database location - the RDSS database is normally a file named DATA.DB and normally it resides in the \RDSS\DATA\ folder on your Drive C (e.g. c:\rdss\data\data.db). RDSS knows where to find the database file by checking the ODBC database connection info found also in the RDSS.INI file, in the [Database] Section. When you install RDSS, the installer creates an entry in your Windows ODBC list (Open Data Base Connections). The entry is named 'Rdss Database'. You can see the reference to this ODBC entry in the RDSS.INI [Database] Section, the line reading: DBParm=ConnectString='DSN=Rdss Database' You can relocate the RDSS Database file itself (c:\rdss\data\data.db) to your new data drive location (e.g. d:\olddata\data.db) by editing the 'Rdss Database' entry in the Windows ODBC Data Sources Administrator utility, which is usually found here: C:\Windows\System32\odbcad32.exe (you could make a Desktop shortcut for future access). Here are a few pictures: Double-click the Rdss Database entry (per the 1st picture above), then choose the Database Tab (the 2nd picture above). This records the name of the Database engine to use (in 'Start line' - don't touch this) and the location of the RDSS Database file (in 'Database file'), which normally is as shown: c:\rdss\data\data.db. Once you have moved that database file to your new data folder, edit the Database file entry to show that new location, e.g. d:\olddata\data.db. Then click OK and close out of the ODBC editor, then restart RDSS. If all entries were correct, and your RDSS database file is indeed located in folder d:\olddata\ then all will work normally with the database. (RDSS still looks for its database according to the RDSS.INI file [Database] Section info ('Rdss Database'), and the Windows ODBC entry for 'Rdss Database' tells Windows where to find that particular database (i.e. its new location). By following the above two A) and B) steps, you have moved ALL data used by RDSS (downloaded files and the database itself) from its default location to a new location, e.g. d:\olddata. Hope that's what you were looking for! Give it a try and let us know how it works. BTW, using the ODBC editor, you can set up a new separate entry for the RDSS Demo Database (e.g. in a file named c:\rdss\data\demo_data2010.db, or wherever else you might locate it) and a separate entry in your RDSS.INI [Database] section for it (e.g. 'Rdss Demodata 2010'), then switch between looking at the upcoming new extensive 2010 Demo Data, say for research purposes or if you are evaluating RDSS, AND the normal and typically smaller, main database of your own downloaded data and pacelines. If anyone is interested in further instructions to manage this, just let me know. cheers, Ted __________________ RDSS - Racing Decision Support System™ Last edited by Ted Craven; 09-20-2010 at 11:14 AM.