[Babase] stumped in biograph 07a update

Karl O. Pinc kop at meme.com
Fri Dec 21 16:51:34 EST 2007


Sorry for the delay.  I started this this morning and just
finished.

On 12/20/2007 03:08:45 PM, kfenn wrote:
> Hi Karl,
> 
> My first attempt to upload demog update data has met with total  
> failure.
> 
> I need to update the Biograph table in order to enter the census data.
> If I try to use your Upload program to enter a series of new records,  
> the system complains that the bioid cannot be null.
> I get the same complaint if I use the import button in the column  
> browse window for the biograph table.

Do you have a bioid column in the data you're trying to upload?
If you do then you're specifying a (NULL) data value and the system
does not like it.

> So I tried to manually enter one new individual using the "INSERT'  
> button from the column browse window for the table.  It has a  
> function to supply the bioid but complains that I haven't supplied a  
> statdate, which I though was supposed to be populated by the  
> computer.  Of course it can't supply a statdate if I haven't entered
> the census data, so I'm not surprised its complaining.

Maybe it should supply a statdate equal to the birthdate when there's
no census rows?  I think maybe not, just because there are cases
where (the individual is dead) and there are no census rows and
the statdate is not equal to the birthdate.

When manually putting in a new biograph row when you don't have
a statdate, it's easiest to set the statdate to the birthdate
and then let the system track it automatically.  That's for
when individuals are alive.  If you want to put in a dead
individual you may as well just put the statdate in in the first
place.

> 
> 
> Do I need to manually lookup and assign the bioid for each?  Isn't  
> the computer supposed to do that for me?

It's _supposed_ to....  Natural perversity has come to the
fore once again!

Karl <kop at meme.com>
Free Software:  "You don't pay back, you pay forward."
                  -- Robert A. Heinlein



More information about the Babase mailing list