[Also posted to the PowerHouse list]

TurboIMAGE database being corrupted by QTP

Please help me get to the root of this problem.  It looks like either a
bug in TurboIMAGE (I hope not!) or a bug in PowerHouse 4GL (hard to
imagine).

Environment:  MPE/iX 7.5 PP3, PowerHouse 8.39.C1.

I have this production database that occasionally gets corrupted during
a QTP run.  I can duplicate the problem consistently on a test machine.
I don't just mean corrupted with bad data--I mean structural errors in
the database.  The errors always seem to be associated with a particular
detail data set.  DBGENERAL typically reports the errors as (1) FREE
SPACE COUNT INCONSISTENT, (2) DELETE CHAIN MISSING ENTRIES, and (3)
DELETE CHAIN BROKEN.  Sometimes there are also structural errors related
to the paths between this detail data set and the two related automatic
masters.  I can repair the damage with DBGENERAL, but the database gets
corrupted again in a few days.

QTP reports the problem with these error messages:
"Data access error."
"Action Taken: Run terminated."
"MPE FILE ERROR 0 RETURNED BY FREADDIR ON ROOT FILE"

After QTP terminates the run, I check the database and find it
corrupted.

I am thinking that TurboIMAGE usually does an excellent job of
protecting itself against structural errors.  Without using PM, it
shouldn't be possible for an application to damage a database in this
way.  I wonder whether QTP always uses the IMAGE intrinsics, or whether
it might sometimes sidestep IMAGE and modify internal database
structures directly.  Does anybody know?

The detail data set in question has about 15,000,000 entries.  It is
enabled for dynamic expansion, but the current capacity is still equal
to the initial capacity, so no expansion has occurred yet.  None of the
master data sets is enabled for dynamic expansion.  The data set is
related to two automatic masters, and both of those paths are sorted.

I've placed a support call with COGNOS, but they haven't come up with
anything yet.  I also plan to place calls to HP and Bradmark.  Can
anybody help in the mean time?  Thanks.

Walter

Walter J. Murray

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