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Saving the Archive Files
on Removable Media
Whether you use the Browser Zip function,
WinZip, or some other archiving utility, we recommend saving Zip files
(archives) of all of your procedure data, including those not maintained in VE-PROMS,
on some form of removable media. Even if your IT group backs up your data
on a regular basis, it is a good idea to compliment their efforts with your own
backups. If, for example, your data is on a network drive and something
bad happens such that the network will not be available for days, you could
install VE-PROMS locally, use your backups to load data locally, and thus
continue to work.
These days, the CD is a media of choice for
storage which has one drawback being that when files are placed on a CD (CD-R)
their attributes are set to Read Only. If you copy a file from a CD, it
will automatically have the Read Only attribute set. You will need to
manually turn off the read only attribute on all of the files you copied.
To resolved this problem, save Zip files to the CD (CD-R). You can unzip
the files directly from the CD drive. The files that are unzipped will not
automatically have the Read Only attribute set. Instead, they will have
their original attributes as they were when the Zip file was created.
An alternative to CDs would be to use memory
sticks or a memory card reader that plugs into your computer's USB port.
It will appear as disk drive on your computer and you can use it as such.
The memory sticks are simply computer memory
chips in a plastic case. Everything is self-contained. The memory
card readers were originally designed to read memory cards that are used by
digital cameras, but it turns out that you can also write to the memory cards
through the "reader". You can then keep a memory card reader/writer
plugged into your computer (via the USB port) and use multiple memory cards to
store data backups.
Compact RO
Database
As you add, modify, and delete data/objects in
the RO database, the database file will grow in size and may become fragmented.
In fact, Microsoft Access keeps old data records in the database, even the
records that were deleted. In time, this could adversely affect the
performance of the database and the RO Editor.
To improve performance, we highly recommend
that the ROMASTER.MDB file be "Compacted" using the "Compact and Repair" tool
found on the Tools menu in Microsoft Access 2000 or XP (Microsoft Access in
included with Microsoft Office Professional edition.) Compacting the
Access file removes unused records and verified the file is in good working
order. In general, the "Compact and Repair" function optimizes the
performance of Access databases.
To "Compact and Repair" the RO database,
perform the following:
- Ensure that no one is in the RO database.
- Make a backup copy of the ROMASTER.MDB
file.
- Start Microsoft Access and open the
database file ROMASTER.MDB.
- From the Menu Bar, select "Tools",
"Database Utilities", then "Compact and Repair Database". This should
complete within a few seconds, depending on the size of the database and how
much work as been done in the ROs.
- Exit Microsoft Access (no saving of the
file is necessary).
- Verify the ROMASTER.MDB file is in working
order (Startup the RO Editor).
- Delete the backup copy of the database
file.
If you are uncertain on this process, just give
us a call and we will be happy to walk you through it.
Use of the
Comment Field
VE-PROMS allows the procedure writer to add
comments to the procedure text. The comments do not show up in the printed
procedure, but the VE-PROMS user can see the comments when the VE-PROMS cursor is
placed on the particular step.
The comment field could be used to track open
items or resolution of comments. For example, if your plant has a
Commitment Action Tracking System (CATS), the CATS number could be placed in the
comment field. Entering this information in the comment field could help
you or other procedure writer's in the future.
Printing to a PDF
An easy way to create .pdf files from VE-PROMS
is through Acrobat Distiller which comes with the full version of Acrobat.
If Acrobat Distiller is installed on the computer, you just select the Acrobat
Distiller printer as your default printer while generating procedures or select
it as your printer through the VE-PROMS Printer Setup option during a session.
The default printer name associated with the latest version of Acrobat Distiller
is "Adobe PDF". You then repaginate and print the procedure as you
normally would, but will be prompted for a location to save the .pdf file.
When printing to a .pdf, the setting in Adobe (under Properties) for "Do Not
Send Fonts To Adobe PDF" must be de-selected. Also, when using other .pdf
programs, such as, CutePDF, the option to download as Softfont should be
selected.
Deleting
Obsolete Files
Over time, files accumulate in your VE-PROMS
data that are superfluous or have become obsolete. Listed below are files
that can be deleted from your VE<PLANT>\<DATA> folders where <DATA> would be
PROCS, AOPS.PRC, MASTER.PRC, etc.:
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usage.* |
usageset.* |
*.tmp |
password.dat |
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used.ro |
setpoint.* |
setpnt.* |
dump.dat |
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*.zip (delete old .zip files at the user's
discretion) |
*.inf, *.xy (in the working
draft folders) |
graphics.fst |
*.bak |
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pprocess.*
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*.exe (if there are old .exe
files in the working draft folders, they're from the DOS version)
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fix.out and z0 or _z0* files
(we've found that some networks will add these files) |
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Printing VE-PROMS Reports to a File
Did you know that there is a way to print VE-PROMS
reports to a file? By setting up a Generic Text Printer and selecting it
as your default printer, the output is printed to a file entitled "text file".
This file is placed in the WINNT\System32 folder (or in your Windows\System32
folder). Listed below are the basic steps to setup a Generic Printer:
- Select Settings|Printers from the Start
Button
- Select Add Printer
- Add Local Printer
- Select Generic Printer and Text Only;
click Next..
- Keep existing drive; click Next
- Name the Printer "Generic" or as desired
- Follow the prompts on the screen
- Before printing reports to a file, make
sure that the Generic Text Printer is set as the default printer
Archiving Alternative (Using
WinZip)
When zipping/archiving VE-PROMS files, an
alternative to using the Browsers zipping function is to use WinZip. If
WinZip is not already installed on your computer, it is available on each VE-PROMS
release CD. When sending a complete data set to Volian, the easiest way to
create the complete archive is to go to the location of the folder to be
archived using Windows Explorer or My Computer and with the right mouse button,
click on the folder. From the right mouse button menu, select either "Add
to Zip" to display a window where you select the options for creating the
archive or select "Add to <name>.zip" which automatically titles the zip file
with the name of the selected folder. The zip file will be crated at the
same level of the selected folder. For example, if you select the folder "VE-PROMS"
(by clicking the right mouse button and selecting "Add to ve-proms.zip") and the
VE-PROMS folder resides in K:\DATA, the
ve-proms.zip file will be created in the K:\DATA
folder.
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