Should I store my EquiSim data from all tracks in one database, or in separate databases (one for each track)?

Myself, I prefer to store everything in one database for daily use.

The Pros:

• EquiSim has all the facilities you need to manage one database with multiple tracks in it.
  The Profiler, for example, has the "track" filter. When the track filter is on, profiles generated when you click the "analyze" button will only include races from the same track as the race you are handicapping.
  The same applies for the SPAT -- it has a "track" filter.
  
• The new "Store Selected Folders" command makes keeping your database up to date very, very convenient. Every new day you simply click "Store Selected Folders", specify the date range you are interested in (the previous day), select the tracks (the selection is remembered from your previous usage), and you're done -- the database is up to date.
  
• If you keep everything in one database you can do analysis over multiple tracks very easily -- you can't do this if everything is in a separate database.
  
• You can use the "open by date", pop open all of the races you are going to play that day, and be off and running with one database. If you use multiple databases, you have to constantly re-connect to the appropriate database while you handicap.
  
• With the new "View Database Contents", you can easily see which trakcs, and which race dates, you have data for in any particular database.
  
• The import and export database features allow you to split off pieces of a big database, or merge smaller ones in, if you need to.
  

The Cons:

• Your database will get big faster, and there is overhead involved in processing big databases. But I've been using databases that are 100 megabytes in size (around 30,000 races) with little adverse affects. The first time you go into the SPAT it takes a little time to dig out all of the tracks, for example.
  

Support for multiple databases:

If you use multiple databases, one for each track, then you can still use "store selected folders" -- but you have to do each track one at a time. That is, Connect to DB - Store Selected Folders (select track)- Connect to 2nd DB -- Store Selected Folders, etc..


What If?

• What if I want to send my friend a Profiler database for just one track? The new "Export Database" feature supports this. You could easily create a database with just one tracks worth of data in it for whatever reason. Your friend could then import this database should he or she elect to use one big database.
  
• What if my one big database gets corrupted somehow? Don't I lose everything as opposed to maybe just one track? Sure -- that could happen (its unlikely, but anything can happen). But EquiSim has the facility to re-create databases very quickly -- even if you made custom pace line selections. Remember, the EquiSim Profiler Database is not the same thing as the data cards -- Profiler Databases have EquiSim generated information in them, that's it. You should always keep your downloaded data files. If you have them, re-creating a databases is a snap.
  

[This message was edited by Nathan Miserocchi on August 20, 2002 at 05:17 PM.]