Deleting or changing the data type of a field

If the data type of a field has been changed or the field has been deleted in the database, this can be detected and fixed by the Configuration Fixer.

  1. With all configuration files closed, from the Tools menu, select Fix Configuration > Changed/Deleted Field.
  2. In the Configuration dialog, first enter the configuration file that you want to fix, including its file path. You can browse to the file by selecting the Browse button next to the first text box.
  3. The file name you entered with the suffix (fixed) is automatically entered in the second text box on the Configuration dialog. At this point, you can do one of the following:
    • If you want to create a new configuration file in the same location as the original configuration file with the added suffix (fixed), leave the entry as it appears.
    • If you want to create a new configuration file with a different name or in a different location, browse to the correct location and type the new file name. A new file will be created in the location you specified containing the fixes you perform.
    • If you want to overwrite the original configuration file, click the Browse button next to the second text box, and navigate to the original file. Be aware that if any problems occur that the original configuration file is not recoverable.
  4. The Changed/Deleted Field dialog is displayed, displaying any problems that the Configuration Fixer found concerning deleting fields, or altered data types and field sizes in the configuration file. The messages you could receive are as follows:
    Message Cause Fix
    <fieldname>.<tablename> has not been found in the database A field has been deleted or renamed. If the field has been renamed, you should use the Rename Field menu command instead of the Changed/Deleted Field dialog to fix the configuration. The field will be removed from the appropriate table.
    <fieldname>.<tablename> data type different (expect X found Y) The data type of a field has been changed. X and Y are integers that indicate the data type as follows:
    • Unknown -1
    • Integer = 0
    • Long = 1
    • Single = 2
    • Double = 3
    • Currency = 4
    • Date = 5
    • String = 6
    • Boolean = 7
    • Byte = 8
    • Memo = 9
    • Binary = 10
    • GUID = 11
    		 The data type will be changed in the configuration.
    <fieldname>.<tablename> ADO data type different The data type of a field has been changed. The ADO data type will be changed in the configuration.
    <fieldname>.<tablename> is a key field so cannot be removed - consider renaming it A key field has been deleted or renamed. It is not viable to delete a key field, so the fixer suggests that you use the Rename Field tool to select the field that should now be used as the key field. No action will be taken.
    <fieldname>.<tablename> case sensitivity different (expected X found Y) The case sensitivity of a field has been changed. X and Y are integers that indicate the case sensitivity as follows:
    • unknown = -1
    • case insensitive = 0
    • case sensitive = 1
    • case default sensitive = 2
    • case default insensitive = 3

    ·

    		 The case sensitvity of the field in the configuration will be updated to reflect the changes to the underlying database.
  5. Do one of the following:
    • Select Fix to fix all the problems displayed, and then Close to close the dialog.
    • Select Close to close the dialog without making any changes.
  6. Open and re-issue the database for any changes to take effect.