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[Gnumed-devel] limbo table entries
From: |
Horst Herb |
Subject: |
[Gnumed-devel] limbo table entries |
Date: |
Sun, 19 Jan 2003 20:52:11 +1100 |
User-agent: |
KMail/1.4.3 |
I have spent much of this weekend working on the Gnumed client database API. I
ran across a few conceptual problems. To solve one of tjhem, I would propose
the concept of "limbo records" in gnumed.
A limbo record is a temporarily non-audited record, allowing any number of
changes while in limbo state.
Reason: with complex widgets and complex tables in the setting of alpha or
beta quality software (or on unstable platforms like Windows) a system crash
could lead to significant data loss unless the data is not saved in regular
intervals.
Furthermore, the work flow of some doctors includes postponing writing the
records until the evening.
All this would create a monstruous blow-up of our audit trail, since it would
rquire several updates to records.
If audited tables would carry a "limbo flag", the folowing would happen:
1.) the record is created, the limbo flag of the record is set. Table and OID
are recorded in a "limbo table".
2.) any number of changes can be made to the record as long as the limbo flag
is not unset: the "ON UPDATE" trigger function that writes to the audit trail
checks the limbo flag, and if set, it exits
3.) Either programmatically or via a "limbo daemon" (or both) the limbo flag
is unset (at the end of the day, at midnight, after a week, when a new
patient is selected).
Reasonably secure approach, since once the limbo flag has been unset, the "ON
UPDATE" trigger would disallow setting it again. Would reduce backend traffic
and audit log size considerably, and make clients more fault resistant
through frequent saving of user entries.
Doesn't require much work either: all I have to do is modify the "audit trail"
trigger generator script a little, and have the limbo table created. Since
the limbo flag would be inherited via the "audit" parent, no changes need to
be made to existing table design either (unless the tables already contain
data)
Comments?
- [Gnumed-devel] limbo table entries,
Horst Herb <=
- Re: [Gnumed-devel] limbo table entries, Karsten Hilbert, 2003/01/19
- Re: [Gnumed-devel] limbo table entries, Horst Herb, 2003/01/19
- Re: [Gnumed-devel] limbo table entries, Karsten Hilbert, 2003/01/19
- Re: [Gnumed-devel] limbo table entries, Horst Herb, 2003/01/19
- Re: [Gnumed-devel] limbo table entries, Karsten Hilbert, 2003/01/20
- Re: [Gnumed-devel] limbo table entries, Horst Herb, 2003/01/20
- Re: [Gnumed-devel] limbo table entries, Karsten Hilbert, 2003/01/20
- Re: [Gnumed-devel] limbo table entries, Hilmar Berger, 2003/01/20
- Re: [Gnumed-devel] limbo table entries, Karsten Hilbert, 2003/01/22