Hi -
In instances where data is required to be appended it seems like there are a couple options:
A) .CSV append
B) Database
However, I find myself going back and forth with connections to both as I move between Server & Desktop (Unless we are using a hosted DB Solution)
If as an example, there are .csv file(s) in sharepoint you would need to go through the exercise of Mapping them, then loading them to the local (ie Server) which when you are building on desktop isn’t something you worry about (until you refactor your project )
I’ve been trying to use SQLite a bit more as its quicker for analysis and you get the benefits of a DB over a flat file. However, same logic applies here. The mapping to a SQLite DB is explicit.
A couple questions/concepts
Would it be possible to essentially “Keep” a SQLite DB with the project folder implicitly like we do for files on import/export? Or Not feasible?
Yes, it's feasible. You can specify a relative path to an .sqlite in an embedded connector. One of our built-in examples, the "Inc5000", does exactly that. That's why it works "out of the box" even despite it queries a database.
The "Local folder" field should allow a relative path (a relative path is relative to the project). If it doesn't let me know.
In this scenario it would only be used by EasyMorph. Thinking of it as an extension of the EM project itself to store the data efficiently
in my opinion its less work with a dedicated DB than manipulating flat files or temp files and easier to follow but I may not have the majority on that.
In this case, I would use the native .dset files then. Importing a .dset file, appending data, and writing back can be surprisingly fast even on rather large datasets. Also with files it's easy to create backup copies, if necessary.
Hot-linking datasets stored in EasyMorph Server is intended exactly for that. The "Import dataset" action can import dataset directly from Server, without creating a local copy. The "Export dataset" action can export directly to Server as well. To get an idea how it can work check out this article: Server Link explained. Note that Server Link is not mandatory for hot-linking. It can be done using regular connectors.
In general, you can think of EasyMorph Server as a dataset/file storage instead of SharePoint. EM Desktop has a number of integrations with EM Server which makes it more convenient to use that any other file storage, such as SharePoint.
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