Size of Database

[whitefern]

Hi people ~

I use IMatch for digital scrapbooking, etc. I  haven't yet imported all my files and haven't started on my photos yet. Already my database is over 5.3Gb after diagnosing and compacting. Is this normal or is there something I'm doing that I shouldn't or should I create new databases for various things?

Just a thought: A few of my folders have instructional videos in them. If I import these folders, do those videos increase the size of the database even they're not categorised? If so, I could move them to a separate folder for videos and eliminate them from the database.

Many thanks for any advice.

~ Robin

[Mario]

The size of the files you index does not impact database size.
How many files does the database index?
Which thumbnail size have you chosen? Thumbnails often make up the largest part of the database file, especially if users choose a size larger than the default 200 or 300 pixel.

[whitefern]

It was set to 300px which must have been the default as I don't remember setting it. I've changed it to 160 and this hasn't changed the size of the images I see in the File Window so that's got to be better. Thanks. I have no idea what most of the stuff is in the options. It's all a foreign language to me.

What I've been doing is, when I feel I've imported, catalogued and moved things around enough, I'll do a diagnostic and then close the database. I then copy that to an EHD as the last working database, then carry on. I regularly compact as well and whenever it crashes, I'm finding I can get it to open again and then I immediately run the diagnostics to make sure it's ok. I'm sure having better luck than my first attempt before I started again from scratch.

So, I can keep cataloguing everything with the one database, yes? When I do the compact operation, it says it's backing up just over 101,000. It takes about half an hour. If this is too much, I know how I can separate my cutting files and my scrapping files and run them as separate databases. Do you think I should do that?

[Mario]

The size of the thumbnails should be 300 pixels, or else you limit yourself too much with the size you can use in the File Window. The size of the thumbnails in the database determines the maximum size of the thumbnails available in the file window, the film strip in the viewer, the stack and version panels.

If does not affect the quick view panel, the viewer, slide show or all other features which use the cache.

I asked how many files you index in your database. I think it's about 100,000 files? Depending on the size of the thumbnails, the amount of metadata contained in your files, a database size between 3 and 6 GB is reasonable.

You should not experience crashes. When IMatch crashes, keep the log file (see IMatch help for details) and file a bug report. When IMatch handles the crash by generating a DUMP file (you see a dialog box with the info and instructions), contact me and then upload the file. This allows me in 30% of all cases to find the reason for the problem and to fix it straight away.

[whitefern]

Ok, thanks, Mario. I've changed it back to 300px and will locate the log file for you next time.