Another Database Question

[Farling]

Originally Posted by enrious

When you run a backup, you're only backing up the data for that realm. For example, if I have realms for fantasy, modern, supers, fantasy2, cyberpunk, and mecha.

I'm fairly sure that when you do a backup from within RW, then you are backing up the entire database (all realms), not an individual realm.

[rob]

Originally Posted by Farling

I'm fairly sure that when you do a backup from within RW, then you are backing up the entire database (all realms), not an individual realm.

This is 100% accurate. There is exactly ONE database for ALL realms. Backups are made for the entire database - NOT individual realms. The statement by @enrious is not how things work within Realm Works.

[rob]

Originally Posted by Viking2054

I'm not sure I like the idea of a single database with all my realms in it. I'll make do if that is what I have to do.

However, I'd appreciate it if they considered the possibility of multiple databases, at least as an option. I'd like to keep my Star Wars content in a separate database from my Fate Core content, my Dungeons and Dragons content, my Pathfinder content, my Shadowrun content, or whatever other game system I am playing. I don't want to accidentally have content from one campaign spill into another.

There's no "spilling of content" within Realm Works. Everything is in one database. However, every record is explicitly tied to the realm is pertains to, and this is baked into the architecture at a very low level. So it's not possible for data to "spill".

A LOT of time and effort went into getting all this just right. And it's been tested for TWO YEARS now by the initial members of the Beta team and close to 2000 users for nearly a year with the Kickstarter backers. We've never had problems with data integrity because we take it very seriously.

Hope this helps!

[enrious]

Originally Posted by rob

This is 100% accurate. There is exactly ONE database for ALL realms. Backups are made for the entire database - NOT individual realms. The statement by @enrious is not how things work within Realm Works.

Glad to hear it - I think RW gives that impression because when you click Backup, the default extension is .realm - maybe add some verbage to the hover text?

[Parody]

Originally Posted by enrious

Glad to hear it - I think RW gives that impression because when you click Backup, the default extension is .realm - maybe add some verbage to the hover text?

To me it's because the backup button is only in the Realm-level UI, not the launcher ("My Realms") level. That implies you're backing up just that one campaign. They've already talked about changing that, though.

[Viking2054]

Ok, I probably misrepresented myself with the word spill or unintentional spill. I wasn't really concerned about database corruption messing up a realm or mixing the information between them. What I was worried about was an ID10T error or a PBK&C error.

I admit my database use is limited to Access with very minimal poking around with MySQL.

However, when I do work on a campaign for the game systems I run, I often start with maps I tend to create in CC3 creating more and more detailed maps until I'm doing dungeons, cities, towns, buildings. Only after I finish with the maps I need done to introduce the characters to the world and starting region do I then move onto campaign concepts and finally finish up with NPC's and encounters. I don't really care for most canned campaign settings or adventures so I tend to create everything myself except for monsters or an occasional borrowed stat block.

I can see those maps taking up a huge amount of database space if they are imbedded into the database (even as jpeg or png files). Add in all the other information for multiple campaigns and I can see a low to middle powered system with limited memory and hard drive space causing some problems. And wouldn't those problems just compound themselves as the abilities of Realm Works are expanded?

Also, as to cloud storage, I'd hope my creations are kept as a self contained database and not merged into some master database run by LWD. Call me paranoid if you wish, but I don't want anybody to be able to lay claim to or access my original content without my express permission. On that front, it might be nice to be able to use a third party encryption system for my data on the cloud service if I wish. Then grant my players access by e-mailing them a key that would allow read only access.

I rarely delete my creations although I do retire/archive them. There is always the possibility that I might return to a campaign in the future though, so I keep a lot of records (mostly digital now). And if I'm going to start throwing my stuff into Realm Works versus my other tools for overall campaign management, then I would like the ability to switch between databases from time to time for both performance reasons and archival reasons.

[mirtos]

The problem is MSAccess has almost not access control (ironic, huh?) and its not how real databases work. Yes, it has SQL, and it is relational, but it is not a professional grade database. Its the main reason (well ok, one of the main reasons) no self-respecting website or serious network application would ever run their system on it.

Beign paranoid about your content makes sense. But having multiple databases (and the idea of having a self contained database for every user gives me the shivvers) doesnt make it more or less secure. I'm not going to have a database password, nor are you.

The business model for this is to ensure the data is safe. Asking about data integrity makes sense, after all, it is your data. Asking how they do this also makes sense.

[enrious]

Originally Posted by Parody

To me it's because the backup button is only in the Realm-level UI, not the launcher ("My Realms") level. That implies you're backing up just that one campaign. They've already talked about changing that, though.

I think that's it exactly, but as you say they've talked about changing it, so no worries.

[rob]

Originally Posted by enrious

Glad to hear it - I think RW gives that impression because when you click Backup, the default extension is .realm - maybe add some verbage to the hover text?

We chose the file extension to tie the file clearly to the PRODUCT. Since the only time users ever see the filename, we never envisioned that the extension would be keyed upon as having specific meaning about exactly what content was in the file - beyond the simple fact that it's Realm Works data.

We'll look at ways to make things clearer...