In <[log in to unmask]> [log in to unmask] writes:

> >>> Jerry Fochtman <[log in to unmask]> 02/04/98
> 07:37am >>>
> Paolo Tealdi <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >I've a database on Turbo Image (i'm new with this database ...)
> >i have to put a new field in an existing table. No problem !
> >i put it at the end of the table and do an DBUNLOAD-DBLOAD.
> >Now I have to index this new field. How can i do ?
> >I can't put the AUTOMATIC MASTER at the end of the DBSTEXT ,
> >because when DBSCHEMA finds the definition it just send me an error
> >because there isn't (still) a relation with an AUTOMATIC.
> >I can't put before the incriminated table because DBLOAD
> >gets angry and do pitoresque things!
> >I think that there must be a solution, and simple, but i can't
> >find it. :-((
> >Anybody can help me ?

[snipped dbunload/load info]

> As an alternative, the Dictionary/3000 programs DICTDBU and DICTDBL
> are far better unload/load programs.  They unload by name, and allow
> set and field shuffling and editing.

Another option that might help; we provide a program called 'dbcopy'
(available on www.3k.com in the public domain software area) that allows
you to do quick copies of databases to/from flatfiles or other databases.
Perhaps you could just build the new database, and use dbcopy to copy the
data directly from the old database to the new one. (dbcopy also allows
you to copy only records matching certain key values for creating subsets
or test data). We use it all the time; it'll even copy data to a new dataset
that's larger or smaller (record size) than the old; it does some simple
filling (I forget the details) on new records (at the end) if the new record
is larger than the old - so you can add new dataitems to the end of a
dataset.

  Happy hunting...
    -Chris Bartram