Attributes Database Suddenly Erased

[Darius1968]

I'm on the latest version of IMatch (2025.1.6), and have just experienced an unfortunate episode of all data entries in all global data sets of my attributes having been mysteriously erased!  The attributes of those global data sets are still there, but somehow, the individual entries that I once established by making use of "Browse>Edit Attribute Set" are now mysteriously gone for no reason.  This happened sometime in the last 24 hours, as I discovered it just now, seeing that my drop down list to make a choice was no longer there.  What could have gone wrong? 

[Mario]

There are zero changes in how IMatch works with Attributes between IMatch 2023 and 2025, according to my revision control system.

Restore your last daily database backup and start from there.
Switch IMatch to debug logging (log file) and try to remember / redo the steps you did before this happened.
No other user has ever reported this type of problem and I have no idea where even to start searching. I have a global Attribute set created in IMatch 5 (?) at least many years ago and it still has all values.

[David_H]

There are zero changes in how IMatch works with Attributes between IMatch 2023 and 2025, according to my revision control system.

Restore your last daily database backup and start from there.
Switch IMatch to debug logging (log file) and try to remember / redo the steps you did before this happened.
No other user has ever reported this type of problem and I have no idea where even to start searching. I have a global Attribute set created in IMatch 5 (?) at least many years ago and it still has all values.

They've gone missing on mine too...

They are present in the backup before the 2025 upgrade. Opening in 2025.1.4 updates the database and they are still there. They are not present in the copy I made for the IM Anywhere update (original 2025 update).

The only thing I did after installing 2025 was play with the autotagger (and had a crash when clicking the prompt button).

I cannot seem to replicate it either; but at least I restored my backup and exported the attributes!

[thrinn]

I can confirm that my global attribute values were also gone.
I was also able to reproduce the loss:

I restored my last backup from before the IM2025 upgrade.
I opened the database (as said, in IM2023 format) and was prompted to upgrade the database. Went without issues.
I checked the attributes - everything fine. I was also ableto export the attributes.

Now I performed a database diagnostics - and all attribute values were gone! The diagnosis log file shows "20.491 orphaned attribute records removed."

Code Select Expand

Checking Attribute Database:
      Attribute Sets: 11
        'Cities' [31] class 0 with 5 attributes.
        'Countries' [32] class 0 with 2 attributes.
        'GPXTracks' [42] class 10 with 8 attributes.
        'IMatchNotes' [35] class 10 with 1 attributes.
        'Locations' [33] class 0 with 3 attributes.
        'MyGlobalNotes' [37] class 0 with 2 attributes.
        'Renamer' [39] class 10 with 6 attributes.
        'States' [36] class 0 with 2 attributes.
        'TMP_Hochzeit' [40] class 10 with 6 attributes.
        'Unterkunft' [43] class 0 with 4 attributes.
        'Waypoints' [41] class 10 with 6 attributes.
      20.491 orphaned attribute records removed.
Completed.
Can somebody reproduce this behaviour by opening a IM2023 database and performing the steps above?

[thrinn]

Further findings:
I could import the attributes from the IMAS file I produced in my previous test.
All attribute values (Global and File based) were there.
I run the diagnostics again.
This time, file based attribute values stayed - but the Global ones were gone again. The Diagnostics Log File displayed 
"647 orphaned attribute records removed." Not so many as before, maybe because only Global values were deleted.

In case it matters: I am using Reference attributes in the Global set. I will setup a test only with Global attributes and report back.

[thrinn]

It looks to me as if there is an issue with Global Attribute Sets using attributes of type Reference.
The ZIP contains 2 very simple Global Attribute sets
"Countries" with one attribute "Country" (Text). One data record only.
"States" with an text attribute "State" and a Reference attribut refCountry.
Import them an check that they have one data record each.
Run a diagnosis - attributes are gone.

[Darius1968]

My appreciation and thanks go out to Thorsten and David for confirming and validating my experience. 

Thanks so much Thorsten for confirming EXACTLY how I'm experiencing the same thing as you: 

My global attribute set that was erased - and that I can now reproduce the behavior for - was indeed of type Reference.  And, I can cause the data for the global data set to be erased simply by carrying out a database diagnosis.  And, come to think of it, I remember when this happened to me for the first time:  It was after IMatch had carried out its routine and periodic database diagnosis, and shortly thereafter, I was trying to perform tasks to a file that involved this part of my attributes. 

[Mario]

The orphaned attribute records removed is emitted by a diagnosis step that checks for "dangling" attribute records which have not been removed when the corresponding file has been removed.

It works (should work) only on file-based Attribute records, not on global records, which are never liked to a file.
I'll have a look asap.

[Mario]

I have identified the reason for this problem.
Thanks for the users who helped analyzing this. The "orphaned" diagnosis entry was very helpful.

Under some conditions, depending on which branch was executed by the diagnosis, the "find attributes without files" diagnosis step worked on all Attribute records, not only on file-based Attribute records.

I will add a test and then start the build process for IMatch 2025.1.8 and ship an update today.

[David_H]

I will add a test and then start the build process for IMatch 2025.1.8 and ship an update today.

Thank you Mario for all your hard work in fixing it and releasing so promptly. (Update installed and all appears well again).

[pmbvw]

I have installed the new Update 2025.1.8

How can I test or where can I see, if my installation  has the problem?

... and if yes, how can I correct this problem?

[Mario]

If you use global Attributes and ran a diagnosis with any IMatch 2025 version before 2025.1.8 (released today), your global Attributes will be empty. Go go Edit > Preferences > Edit Attributes to check.

If you are affected, restore your IMatch database backup from before you ran the diagnosis.

[pmbvw]

I have checked the edit attributes and the attributes are empty 😒.

I don`t know, if I ever used global attributes in the last 15 years.
If never used, are ail fields in the Edit Attributes also empty?

First, before and direct after the upgrade to IMATCH 2025 I  made a Pack and Go with database diagnosis and compact. So I mean, that all Backups after the upgrade have empty global attributes.

Can I restore the last backup from  IMATCH 2023 on my IMATCH 2025.1.8-Version and the db will be converted?

If yes, I will restore my last backup from IMATCH 2023 und test the global atrributes if they are empty.

If not empty, I will keep this db with existing global attributes and  reimport and redescribe all my under IMATCH 2025 imported folders and pics again

If the global attributes are empty, i know, that I never used global attributes, so I restore the newest db-backup from todays Pack and Go to avoid the redescribe.

Is this a way I can go?

[Mario]

I don`t know, if I ever used global attributes in the last 15 years.

I don't know either. II would assume that if you would use global Attribute Sets, you wold be aware of that?

If you have a Pack & Go, restore the package into a NEW folder(Restore to a different folder)  (don't replace your current database and settings).
Open the database from the restored data and look if it has global Attribute data via Edit > Preferences > Edit Attributes,

[pmbvw]

Thank you Mario for your help.
I have restored the latest IMATCH 2023 db-backup in a separate folder.
... and the global attributes there are also empty in IMATCH2023😍

So I can continue with my actual IMATCH-2025-db without sorrow  
😊👍😊