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Documentation Introduction Getting Started Set Popups Preferences Sessions Issues Personnel Songs Related Songs Labels Lookup Fields Edit Modes Name Sorting Notes-Only Sessions Reports Data Exchange

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Tutorial Introduction Songs Personnel and Labels Sessions Performances Performers Issues Tracks Instruments Customizing Popups

 

Getting Started

Brian Data Files

Brian data consists of 2 separate files:

• Brian.VDB (Windows users must have the .vdb extension on this file.)
• Brian.IND

These files can be stored anywhere on the hard drive with the following requirements:

• Both files MUST have identical names aside from the .vdb and .ind extension.
• Both files MUST be located in the same folder.

These files can be renamed to suit the user's preference, but the .vdb and .ind suffix must be retained and, again, the names of the 2 files must be identical aside from the extensions.

The .ind file contains the indices used by Brian. At any time Brian displays data that looks incorrect or after Brian crashes for any reason, the following steps should be taken:

1. Quit the program. (Of course, if Brian crashed then this step is done!)
2. Delete the .ind file.
3. Restart the Brian application. This will cause Brian to rebuild the index. The startup will take longer as the index is rebuilt so please be patient.

After this is done, check to see that the incorrect data (and/or the most recently entered data) looks correct. If the data still looks incorrect, email me with the details. Possibly there is a bug that needs correcting.

Starting The Application

Double click on the Brian application icon. The database will then need to be opened using the File-->Open menu item.

Important warning

It is recommended that backups of the Brian data files be taken regularly. There are two kinds of backups that should be used.

One is a backup to another device other than the primary hard drive such as a zip drive, external hard drive or CDr. If your primary hard drive crashes for some reason, you will be very glad you have another copy of your data.

Another backup that should be used is a simple copy of the database on the primary hard drive. This should be done before you sit down to do any extensive data entry. It is much simpler to do than an external backup so resistance to this should be low. Should Brian crash because of a bug (I've done extensive testing, but who knows what might be lurking out there!) or due to a power failure or some other type of hardware failure, the database could be irreparably corrupted. By making periodic backups on your local hard drive, you minimize the amount of work that is possible to lose.

NEVER BACK UP YOUR DATA WHILE BRIAN IS ACTIVE.