Data loss with DataPipe Server 3, Periodically losing all information in the cells Options

[amberhalliday]

Hello all:

For a few months I've been struggling with a loss of data from the DataPipe Server 3 that we use with our system in the office. I seem to have eliminated the possibility of it being a user that is removing all the information but can't quite figure out why this keeps happening. (Previously enabled the logs to see when data changed in the cell but no log file existed for the date when the information was lost)

Has anyone else had this issue?

The odd thing is the sheet names remain but all the information in the cells on ALL the sheets go blank.

I have since enabled the log files for the Server Status and the Connections of the Datapipe Client but thought I'd post incase this is an issue other people have been through.

Help!

Amber

[Scott McDowell]

Hello Amber,

I'm sorry to hear that you are experiencing problems. No other users have reported an issue like this with the current release of the product (or any older versions of the product, to my knowledge). However, there are configuration options in the DataPipe Server and DataPipe Client that might cause the software to appear to have lost data when it has actually been instructed to clear the data.

DataPipe 3 Server
By default, the DataPipe Server is configured to automatically save a snapshot of the contents of the server to a file with the same name as the executable and the extension ".dat". If you are using the service version of the product then it will be called "DPService.dat" and the application version will name the file "DPServer.dat". The settings that determine whether or not to save the data and how frequently to save the data are found in the Tools > Options dialog:



Note that the default save frequency is 300 seconds but it also automatically saves the data whenever the program or service is stopped. If this option is disabled by the user, the software will start without any data whenever the program/service is restarted or if the computer is rebooted. Customers typically want to keep their data so the persistent data setting is enabled by default.

You mentioned that your sheet names remain when the data is no longer present. The DataPipe Server keeps the sheet names in its ".ini" file (named using a similar convention as described for the ".dat" file above) so the sheet names are stored independently of the rest of the data.

DataPipe 3 Client
The default configuration for the DataPipe Client will tell the program to leave any newly submitted data on the DataPipe Server when the Client is closed. For situations where live data is being contributed to the Server with the Client (e.g. exchange data DDE linked from a trader's application) and you want to ensure that the information is not stale due to someone accidentally closing the Client, there is a "clear data" option:



If a user enables this option, any cells that were contributed to the Server from this particular instance of the DataPipe Client will be cleared when the Client is closed. Most customers don't want the data they contributed to disappear when they exit the DataPipe Client so this option is disabled by default.

Other possibilities
I have encountered situations where customers have installed both the application and service version of the DataPipe Server on the same computer. The user interface is nearly identical between the application and service, with the exception of the program's title bar where the word "Service" will appear if you are running the service version. Since the program functions and looks the same, regardless of whether it is installed as a service or application, there have been cases where a user was confused and launched both copies at the same time. Various symptoms may occur if you run into this issue including data that is only cached in one version of the product.

Another issue that is new to the Windows Vista/7/Server 2008 generation of operating systems stems from the User Account Control (UAC) feature that uses something called the "Virtual Store". If UAC is left on the default setting in Windows, configuration files that are normally saved in the Program Files folder are actually stored in the Virtual Store, which is unique for each user. This would mean that the DataPipe Server would save different versions of the cached data depending on which user launched the application.

Please take a look at the above suggestions and let me know what you find. You are a member of our support and maintenance program so you are also entitled to phone and email support. If you prefer to have our Technical Services team assist you with your troubleshooting, please give us a call and we will create a web meeting where you will be able to share your desktop and demonstrate the issue.