(Off-Topic) How Do You Manage Your Databases?

[GrunchCan]

I recently had a database problem, and it got me to wondering how I should arrange my databases in the future.

What do you guys do? Do you just have 1 big database where everything goes? Do observed hands go in thier own database? Do you have seperate databases for different levels or time periods?

[DavidC]

[ QUOTE ]
I recently had a database problem, and it got me to wondering how I should arrange my databases in the future.

What do you guys do? Do you just have 1 big database where everything goes? Do observed hands go in thier own database? Do you have seperate databases for different levels or time periods?

[/ QUOTE ]

Time periods are good, because you can filter levels in pt under preferences.

Game types are good too (NLHE/LHE) because you are going to get really really weird numbers if you combine them.

Also, I'm not sure about setting up autorating rules for separate DBs (if PT has that capability), but if it does, this would be an advantage to using the separate game/sep db idea.

--Dave.

[GrunchCan]

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I'm not sure about setting up autorating rules for separate DBs

[/ QUOTE ]

Each database gets its own batch of rate rules.

[btspider]

each game type has its own + an observed db.

right now i have 4 db's:
full ring limit
full ring limit - observed
6-max limit
6-max limit - observed

while i am playing, i import into observed (so GT+ has the most stats). at the end of the session, i just do one bulk import into the non-observed db and delete the HH's.

i'll periodically wipe out an observed db (usually when moving up in limits) to get new updated info.

[adsman]

I've been keeping my hand histories in a seperate folder. Don't know if this takes up a lot of room or not. Would it be better just to delete them?

[k000k]

When I hit about 130k hands, my performance was getting pretty bad, so I moved ptrack/mmdb and just started over with empty tables. I've made enough adjustments to my game during that time, so my old sub-optimal habits aren't skewing the stats in my current database.

Also, for 'observed' databases, turnover is so high, I used to observe tables religiously and STILL sit down with no reads on 7/10 players. Any data that's > a month or 2 old in an 'observed' database is pretty much useless IMO. After a 1/2 hour you know who's who anyway.. Well, at .5/1 anyway.. Probably the players at higher limits stick around more, so it'd be more worthwhile. I haven't been mining 1/2 since I got here.

[gvibes]

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Time periods are good, because you can filter levels in pt under preferences.


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You can also filter by time period.

[k000k]

[ QUOTE ]
I've been keeping my hand histories in a seperate folder. Don't know if this takes up a lot of room or not. Would it be better just to delete them?

[/ QUOTE ]

Depends what you consider a 'lot of room'. HH's are just under 1k each, so you could fit over a million of em in 1 gig of drive space. I use 'export' in PT though, 300 HH's per file. ESPECIALLY for the cryptos. Cryptos save each hand in a separate file, and if your filesystem has 4k sector size, each HH uses up 4k of space whether the file fills it or not. Even better, if you're simply archiving, zip em all up into 1 file. Text compresses like a mofo, and you won't have all those partially filled sectors.

[DMBFan23]

I have 5 seperate databases: one for my small stakes games (2/4 up through 5/10) one for my microlimit games (.25/.5 through 1/2) one for my 6 max games (1/2 and a SMALL taste of 5/10), one for my NL games (NL25 and NL50, just when I want some variety) and one that has some hand histories I had someone review...that one is good to go back and look over with the associated comments, it's almost like a little poker book in database form.

when I make it to 15/30 I will probably have a seperate DB for 15/30 and up

[chris_a]

I have two databases for each limit and for each number of max players. Two because one is for the datamine and one is for my stats.

The datamine doesn't store hand histories but the database with my stats does. Obviously the datamine is for exporting to player notes.

My current databases.

Chris 0.5/1.0
Chris 0.5/1.0 datamine
Chris 1/2
Chris 1/2 datamine
Chris 1/2 6 max
Chris 1/2 6 max datamine
Other Miscellaneous ones

PT gets too slow with one big DB when it gets bigger than like 20,000 hands and prohibitively slow for larger number of hands so this is necessary and keeps loading time (and GT+ refresh time fast). It's especially important to keep the datamine separate from your stats.

Since each game plays differently, I find that the added benefit of combining my stats is not worth the price of speed and GT+ refresh time.