If anyone tells you that it's a simple task to take data in one database schema and translate it into another database schema, beat them with the largest stick you can easily find on-hand.

Side 7 has a database that is very large, has many tables, and is (admittedly) poorly designed.

v4's design is far more efficient, uses less tables, better foreign key handling and indexing, and is flexible and scalable.

Putting that design into use, and migrating data from v3's database to the v4 database is ... well, an exercise in zen-like patience and mensa-esque thinking. Simple queries will not translate the data over. I'm working on a migration script; a very complex migration script that has to be written to deal with the migration in very defined steps. Not just programmatically speaking, but also in terms of dealing with the database data.

In a relational database, data in one table can be dependent upon data in another table or tables. Therefore, since the migration process is not only changing database schemas, but also consolidating data in some cases, and completely transforming data in other cases, there's an emerging, precise order in which data must be migrated.

To say the least, this has been a long process, and is still ongoing.

Once that is done, though, the migration script can be re-used time and again to update and reset the test data in the development database (and the final migration before v4 launch). Additionally, once the new database is "finalised" and data migrated into it, development of the actual web site should pick up dramatically.

I'm looking forward to reaching that point. Now, if only I could boost my motivation to a higher level.

-- BK

Question: Do you have enough Aspirin/Tylenol/painkiller of your choice?

I buy my Ibuprofin in bulk bottles at Sam's Club.

-- BK

Excellent! I guess you're all set then.

Roadstripe:

Excellent! I guess you're all set then.

Hehe, yeah. At least for that aspect of the work.

-- BK