It Can Happen To You Too

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IsraEliteMedia

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It Can Happen To You Too

PostTue May 19, 2020 8:03 am

I installed update to 16.2.2 studio. Opened my project manager and nearly all of my DB projects ARE GONE!

Nightmare scenario unfolding now.

Sequence of what happened.

Started a brand new database last night called Davinci Training. Restored several .dra files to that database. Used it and everything worked normally and as expected.

Today, I updated to 16.2.2 and tried to open my 30 minute television program which is due for delivery this week and not only are all of the projects GONE but in their place are the projects from the other newly created database for Davinci Training!

UNDERSTAND, these are completely separate and unrelated entire databases. They weren't touched or even opened when working with the Davinci Resolve Training database.

Checked 2 other completely separate and unrelated in anyway databases and they too have the projects showing from the Davinci Training database.

ALL I HAVE IS THE .DRP FILES as backups that I make from time to time. If there are no DRP file then I have absolutely NOTHING!!!!! EVERYTHING ELSE IS COMPLETELY GONE, SCRUBBED NON-EXISTANT!

I have searched my entire computer for any files ending in *.db and specifically project.db. The fact is they are somehow completely gone from my entire system.

It appears that there are 2 possibilities.

1. By creating a new database and naming it Davinci Resolve Training and restoring .dra file projects to that database, the process somehow recorded over and deleted other existing *.db files.

2. or by upgrading to 16.2.2. this morning, it caused a corruption of my database structure. Either way I am screwed.

YOU MUST EXPORT .DRP FILES AT LEAST DAILY with screwy database structure in Davinci Resolve. It is way too finicky and clumsy not to do that.
Last edited by IsraEliteMedia on Tue May 19, 2020 12:45 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Dwaine Maggart

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Re: IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU TOO!

PostTue May 19, 2020 8:42 am

I assume you are using Disk databases, and that PostgreSQL databases are not involved?

You had the 16.2.1 in your signature previously installed?

Did you happen to launch 16.2.1 today, before you upgraded to 16.2.2, to see what the state of your projects were?

Installing 16.2.2 over 16.2.1 would not touch the database.

When you created the new database last night, did you at that point have 2 databases listed in the Project Manager Database list, your original database and the new one just created?

Do you have 2 databases in the database list after updating to 16.2.2?

If your original database is still there, in addition to the new database, what's in it?

It almost sounds like you created the new database last night in the same path as the original database. That shouldn't make existing stuff go away, but it would probably mix the new stuff with the old stuff.

Unless you did things in the database area directly in File Explorer, it's hard to imagine you could have lost the existing project data. Even a Resolve uninstall from Windows Control Panel - Programs and Features, would not touch existing project data.

If you still have 2 databases listed, turn on the Info button (the small i in a circle icon at the top of the Database area). That will show you the database paths. If you right click on a path, and select "Open File Location" it will open that folder in File Explorer, and then you can verify whether the original projects are there in the original database or not.

Finally, long term (multi-day, week, month) and/or critical projects SHOULD have a project export .drp created at the end of each day, for safety. Ideally with a copy kept off disk, in case something happens to your drive.

And, it's good practice to make database backups occasionally.

And it's good practice to have the Project Backup mode enabled. The backups are kept in a user selected location, so are separate from the main database. So in the worst case of something happening to the database, the project backups should still be accessible, if nothing happened to that location.
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IsraEliteMedia

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Re: IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU TOO!

PostTue May 19, 2020 9:37 am

Dwaine Maggart wrote:I assume you are using Disk databases, and that PostgreSQL databases are not involved?

You had the 16.2.1 in your signature previously installed?

Did you happen to launch 16.2.1 today, before you upgraded to 16.2.2, to see what the state of your projects were?

No I just upgraded to 16.2.2 without checking the projects.

Installing 16.2.2 over 16.2.1 would not touch the database.

Agreed.

When you created the new database last night, did you at that point have 2 databases listed in the Project Manager Database list, your original database and the new one just created?

I had 6 different databases. 5 which were in use for various projects and 1 newly created for the Davinci Training.

Do you have 2 databases in the database list after updating to 16.2.2?

After updating. All 6 databases are listed on the left. The problem is the contents of those databases. The 4 that are located on the D: drive only have the Davinci Training projects. The other 2 which are located on the C: drive were untouched and are fine.

If your original database is still there, in addition to the new database, what's in it?

Again, the Davinci Resolve Training projects that were restored from .dra files is all that is in them.

It almost sounds like you created the new database last night in the same path as the original database. That shouldn't make existing stuff go away, but it would probably mix the new stuff with the old stuff.

Yes. The path is the same. D:Davinci/Databases. I agree that should not delete anything however.

Unless you did things in the database area directly in File Explorer, it's hard to imagine you could have lost the existing project data. Even a Resolve uninstall from Windows Control Panel - Programs and Features, would not touch existing project data.

I can promise you that nothing was done in Windows Explorer. Everything was done in the DR "Home" screen for project databases.

If you still have 2 databases listed, turn on the Info button (the small i in a circle icon at the top of the Database area). That will show you the database paths. If you right click on a path, and select "Open File Location" it will open that folder in File Explorer, and then you can verify whether the original projects are there in the original database or not.

I did right click and choose "open file location" as you suggested. It opens the folder where they should be but they are not there!

Finally, long term (multi-day, week, month) and/or critical projects SHOULD have a project export .drp created at the end of each day, for safety. Ideally with a copy kept off disk, in case something happens to your drive.

I last did one on May 17th. Lost a days worth of work. The problem is surveying and figuring out how much else is lost. Did I have final .drp file exports for every project?? Were small changes made later without .drp exports??

And, it's good practice to make database backups occasionally.

And it's good practice to have the Project Backup mode enabled. The backups are kept in a user selected location, so are separate from the main database. So in the worst case of something happening to the database, the project backups should still be accessible, if nothing happened to that location.
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Shrinivas Ramani

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Re: It can happen to you too.

PostTue May 19, 2020 10:34 am

I would like to get a picture of your database organisation and your actions... I'm using using placeholder names as examples:
Code: Select all
DB1: default loc                     name: Default
DB2: D:\DaVinci\aDBFolder            name: a_DB
DB3: D:\DaVinci\otherDBFolder        name: other_DB
DB4: D:\DaVinci\anotherDB            name: another_DB
DB5: D:\DaVinci\someOtherDB          name: some_other_DB
DB6: D:\DaVinci\DaVinci Training          name: DaVinci_Training
And your sequence of actions was:
a. maintain regular exports of DRP\\DRA backups - on May 17
b. create "DaVinci_Training" with 16.2.1 and restore/import some DRP and DRA projects in this new database on May 18. you didn't have a chance to check other databases/projects.
c. update to 16.2.2 on May 19.
d. in project manager, double click "DB3" expected to see the project "TV Program" and others, and instead find one or more DRPs/DRAs that ought to be in "DaVinci_Training"
e. doubleclick and open (e.g) DB2 and DB4 - find a similar listing. DB1 is ok though.
f. Search D:\ for .db files
g. Report this issue.

Now for some questions & suggestions:

a. can I check if D: is permanently mounted or external?
- if permanently mounted, can I check if the paths above exist if you locate them from the File Explorer?
- if external can I check if the disk had been mounted using a different letter at some point?

b. Can I check if there is sufficient space in D: ?

c. In Dwaine's message above, can you confirm that the paths shown (and revealed) are distinct and correspond to your expected values?
turn on the Info button (the small i in a circle icon at the top of the Database area). That will show you the database paths. If you right click on a path, and select "Open File Location" it will open that folder in File Explorer, and then you can verify whether the original projects are there in the original database or not.
d. In each database path (e.g. D:\DaVinci\aDBFolder), a typical folder level path is D:\DaVinci\aDBFolder\Resolve Projects\Users\guest\Projects\Project Name\Project.db.

e. Navigate to your expected database paths via the file explorer - if you can see folders with familiar project names, a suggestion may be to right click the database listing in the project manager, choose Disconnect, click New database, and re-point it to the folder above the "Resolve Projects" folder - "D:\DaVinci\aDBFolder" in my example path. This should re-read all underlying projects. Please note that, as Dwaine mentiones, manipulation of the db or xml files in this folder through other apps may lead to loss of data or instability, so please use the explorer solely to confirm the paths exist. If, after reconnecting, you still have missing projects, a link to a diagnostic log archive and a zipped copy of your database would help us determine what issues there are.
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Re: IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU TOO!

PostTue May 19, 2020 1:39 pm

Dwaine Maggart wrote:Installing 16.2.2 over 16.2.1 would not touch the database.


That was my experience.
My Biases:

You NEED training.
You NEED a desktop.
You NEED a calibrated (non-computer) display.
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IsraEliteMedia

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Re: It can happen to you too.

PostTue May 19, 2020 4:18 pm

Shrinivas Ramani wrote:I would like to get a picture of your database organisation and your actions... I'm using using placeholder names as examples:
Code: Select all
DB1: default loc                     name: Default
DB2: D:\DaVinci\aDBFolder            name: a_DB
DB3: D:\DaVinci\otherDBFolder        name: other_DB
DB4: D:\DaVinci\anotherDB            name: another_DB
DB5: D:\DaVinci\someOtherDB          name: some_other_DB
DB6: D:\DaVinci\DaVinci Training          name: DaVinci_Training
And your sequence of actions was:
a. maintain regular exports of DRP\\DRA backups - on May 17
b. create "DaVinci_Training" with 16.2.1 and restore/import some DRP and DRA projects in this new database on May 18. you didn't have a chance to check other databases/projects.


No, I only created a new database and inside of it only did I restore .dra projects for training.
c. update to 16.2.2 on May 19.
Correct

d. in project manager, double click "DB3" expected to see the project "TV Program" and others, and instead find one or more DRPs/DRAs that ought to be in "DaVinci_Training"
Correct

e. doubleclick and open (e.g) DB2 and DB4 - find a similar listing. DB1 is ok though.
f. Search D:\ for .db files
g. Report this issue.

Now for some questions & suggestions:

a. can I check if D: is permanently mounted or external?
- if permanently mounted, can I check if the paths above exist if you locate them from the File Explorer?

It is permanently mounted.
The path you can see from the image upload.
- if external can I check if the disk had been mounted using a different letter at some point?

b. Can I check if there is sufficient space in D: ?
Lots and lots of space unused on D drive.

c. In Dwaine's message above, can you confirm that the paths shown (and revealed) are distinct and correspond to your expected values?
turn on the Info button (the small i in a circle icon at the top of the Database area). That will show you the database paths. If you right click on a path, and select "Open File Location" it will open that folder in File Explorer, and then you can verify whether the original projects are there in the original database or not.
d. In each database path (e.g. D:\DaVinci\aDBFolder), a typical folder level path is D:\DaVinci\aDBFolder\Resolve Projects\Users\guest\Projects\Project Name\Project.db.

What I think happened is this. Inside the folder "Resolve Projects" (misnamed) is where the other database files were living. When I created the new database it asks for a location. I pointed it to the same "Resolve Projects" folder where the others were stored. However, when I performed the RESTORE of the .dra projects, somehow the other database files were overwritten or deleted. I realize this probably doesn't sound logical but I can't think of any other possible way this problem happened.

e. Navigate to your expected database paths via the file explorer - if you can see folders with familiar project names, a suggestion may be to right click the database listing in the project manager, choose Disconnect, click New database, and re-point it to the folder above the "Resolve Projects" folder - "D:\DaVinci\aDBFolder" in my example path. This should re-read all underlying projects. Please note that, as Dwaine mentiones, manipulation of the db or xml files in this folder through other apps may lead to loss of data or instability, so please use the explorer solely to confirm the paths exist. If, after reconnecting, you still have missing projects, a link to a diagnostic log archive and a zipped copy of your database would help us determine what issues there are.
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Re: It Can Happen To You Too

PostTue May 19, 2020 7:51 pm

I wanted to also add a screenshot of the databases from the home page of Davinci Resolve. The four databases inside the red circle are the ones that ALL had ONLY the Davinci Resolve training projects in them that were restored from .dra files.
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Shrinivas Ramani

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Re: It Can Happen To You Too

PostWed May 20, 2020 2:05 am

Eric

Edit2: Can you provide a diagnostic log archive for us to examine?

It looks like there was somehow an issue that caused the project manager to think each of your D:\ databases points to the _same_ database folder.

If you did create your databases in different subfolders, it is likely this may be a problem with the "shortcut link" for lack of a better word. I want to check if the underlying databases are still intact.

Were your databases originally in :
D:/DaVinci Databases/forgotten_jews_commercial/
D:/DaVinci Databases/ifcj_drtv
etc? (expected locations of each DB)

Can you check if:
D:/DaVinci Databases/forgotten_jews_commercial/Resolve Projects/Users/guest/Projects/
D:/DaVinci Databases/ifcj_drtv/Resolve Projects/Users/guest/Projects/
have a list of familiar project names?

If yes, can you try this for each of the project manager listings that show this D:/DaVinci Databases/ location?
Shrinivas Ramani wrote:e. Navigate to your expected database paths via the file explorer - if you can see folders with familiar project names, a suggestion may be to right click the database listing in the project manager, choose Disconnect, click New database, and re-point it to the folder above the "Resolve Projects" folder - "D:\DaVinci\aDBFolder" in my example path. This should re-read all underlying projects.


Edit:
I noticed your File Explorer screenshot...

a. The two resolve.diskdb files seem to be created on the 19th.

Please do this:
Move the two files ending with resolve.diskdb out of the way - say to D:/Backups
From the project manager, databases tab, choose the Restore icon (second from left) and point to each of these diskdb files.
Provide a unique name - like ifcj_drtv_bkup_may19 - to indicate origin
Open a project. Check if the content inside reflects work up to date.

b. The structure of the D:/DaVinci Databases/ folder seems off.
Once again, I would like to confirm what your intended database locations were i.e. How did you create and backup these initial 4 databases?
- Did you click the Create tab and choose a unique folder? Can you provide the paths you chose?
- Did you remain with Connect and choose the existing DaVinci Resolve folder?
- When backing up and creating these diskdb backup files, did you leave the original disk database folders as is?
Last edited by Shrinivas Ramani on Wed May 20, 2020 8:07 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: It Can Happen To You Too

PostWed May 20, 2020 2:12 am

For those looking on, on the Mac side (with fixed drive names and a PostgreSQL Project Database server), we had no problem today installing 16.2.2 on top of 16.2.1.

There is always a risk with links getting broken in any database situation, but as a precaution we try to do weekly Project Database backups and daily individual project backups.

I have had some hiccups here and there, but the biggest disaster I encountered was me being under the weather and exhausted and linking a timeline to the wrong group of files. Even there, I didn't lose the project -- I lost half a timeline and recreated it in about 90 minutes. It was my own stupid mistake, nothing to do with BMD. But it shows you that media links and database links can be fragile (in any kind of software), and things can go wrong under bad circumstances. Backups can save your life and your sanity.
marc wielage, csi • VP/color & workflow • chroma | hollywood
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IsraEliteMedia

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Re: It Can Happen To You Too

PostWed May 20, 2020 3:37 pm

Shrinivas Ramani wrote:Eric

Edit2: Can you provide a diagnostic log archive for us to examine?

I need to google this to find out how to do it.

It looks like there was somehow an issue that caused the project manager to think each of your D:\ databases points to the _same_ database folder.

This will explain the process in more detail which also addresses your later question about how the databases were created. What happened is that I started to experience a non-characteristic sluggish editing system in DR and I began to look for solutions since I hadn't had any issues. After eliminating obvious choices like latest GPU driver etc., I began to look at Database size as a potential problem. Until April 19th, I had kept nearly all of my projects within one large database.
My attempt for solution was to break up the one big database into several, smaller more manageable sized databases. I decided there were two ways this could be done. One was to create a new database and then one by one, import project .drp files into that database. This method has several weaknesses which include that you are only as good as whatever you last .drp update was done for each project and it is a bit tedious to import one at a time lots of different projects.

I then decided I would try to copy the database on the Home page of Davinci Resolve by using Ctrl C and Ctrl V. This worked great because I got an exact copy of my big database and then I could go in and just delete the projects that I wanted to from the copied database. This would have the desired result of creating a new, smaller more manageable database. I repeated this process twice and was very happy with final results.

One of the new databases included only my infomercial tv program and now the sluggishness in editing problem was gone. In my mind, all my problems were solved and I continued on from April 19th until May 18th without any problems. All databases functioned as normal and all databases contained the expected projects as planned.

That said, the newly created databases were apparently created and living inside the either the D:/Davinci Databases folders according to the screenshot info pic I sent you. I am assuming that this is where the database files were living until May 18th.

On May 18th. On the Davinci Resolve database home screen, I clicked on "create new database". Named it Davinci_Resolve_Training and pointed it to the "Resolve Projects" folder. Then when I restored the .dra files is when the problem happened. 2 things happened, the Ukraine infomercial .db was completely gone and strangely, the 2 .diskdb files are also of no use that I can detect. Which brings me to an important question. What is the difference between a .db file and a .diskdb file?


If you did create your databases in different subfolders, it is likely this may be a problem with the "shortcut link" for lack of a better word. I want to check if the underlying databases are still intact.

Were your databases originally in :
D:/DaVinci Databases/forgotten_jews_commercial/
D:/DaVinci Databases/ifcj_drtv
etc? (expected locations of each DB)
No, the databases were either deep inside the resolve projects/guest/projects folder or hanging freely on the D:Davinci Databases

Can you check if:
D:/DaVinci Databases/forgotten_jews_commercial/Resolve Projects/Users/guest/Projects/
D:/DaVinci Databases/ifcj_drtv/Resolve Projects/Users/guest/Projects/
have a list of familiar project names?
Neither of those files exist in the location that you suggest. IMO they were somehow deleted or overwritten but I can promise you that it wasn't because of me doing anything other than restoring .dra files to a separate database.

If yes, can you try this for each of the project manager listings that show this D:/DaVinci Databases/ location?
Shrinivas Ramani wrote:e. Navigate to your expected database paths via the file explorer - if you can see folders with familiar project names, a suggestion may be to right click the database listing in the project manager, choose Disconnect, click New database, and re-point it to the folder above the "Resolve Projects" folder - "D:\DaVinci\aDBFolder" in my example path. This should re-read all underlying projects.


Edit:
I noticed your File Explorer screenshot...

a. The two resolve.diskdb files seem to be created on the 19th.

APRIL 19th.

Please do this:
Move the two files ending with resolve.diskdb out of the way - say to D:/Backups
From the project manager, databases tab, choose the Restore icon (second from left) and point to each of these diskdb files.
Provide a unique name - like ifcj_drtv_bkup_may19 - to indicate origin
Open a project. Check if the content inside reflects work up to date.

Sorry, but I can't do this because I am afraid of duplicating the same problem again! If I restore those files how do I know it won't overwrite something I don't want to lose?

b. The structure of the D:/DaVinci Databases/ folder seems off.
Once again, I would like to confirm what your intended database locations were i.e. How did you create and backup these initial 4 databases?
- Did you click the Create tab and choose a unique folder? Can you provide the paths you chose?
- Did you remain with Connect and choose the existing DaVinci Resolve folder?
- When backing up and creating these diskdb backup files, did you leave the original disk database folders as is?


I tried to answer all of this in the lengthy portion written above.
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Shrinivas Ramani

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Re: It Can Happen To You Too

PostWed May 20, 2020 4:32 pm

Thank you once again for the explanation.

The .diskdbs are database backups. The screenshot showed them inside the database, hence the recommendation for them to be moved to a Backups folder.

For the diagnostic log archives, start Resolve, Help menu > Create diagnostic logs - this creates a zip file on your Desktop.
For the database, just zip up the D:/DaVinci Databases folder.
Place these two zip files in a file sharing software like Dropbox or Google Drive. Select and right click to create a shareable link and post the link here so we can take a look.

Thanks
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Re: It Can Happen To You Too

PostThu May 21, 2020 8:31 am

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Shrinivas Ramani

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Re: It Can Happen To You Too

PostFri May 22, 2020 5:21 am

Eric,

If you have any drive backups, diskdb backup files or drp exports before deleting projects from each database connection, we will need to fallback on those.

If you have a drive backup, access the backup and copy Backup:/DaVinci Databases as D:/Davinci DB Backup/ and disconnect the backup promptly for safety. Connect to this database folder via the New database button. Copy the missing content to the original big database.

For the diskdb backup files from your screenshot:
• in D: create a new folder called DiskDB Backups. Move the diskdb files there so they're out of the way.
• in Project Manager, click Restore, select a diskdb file from the backups directory (example: ifcj_drtv.diskdb), select a new folder (example: D:/Restored Projects/ifcj_drtv).
• Wait for the restore process to complete.
• Repeat for other diskdb files - please remember to select *new folders* under Restored Projects for each database.

If you have drp exports,
• create & connect to a new database (with a new empty folder).
• drag the drp files in or double-click them to import.

In the project manager, please verify your new data and then disconnect from all database connections pointing to "D:/DaVinci Databases" (note: this does not delete the folder - so you can make a new connection later to finish the training).

---

Before I get into what happened, please note that Resolve database operations are discussed in pages 97-107 in the Resolve manual.

Oversimplifying for summary, the disk database is the folder from a Resolve user's perspective. There's projects and settings and other data inside - but the folder is logically the database.
So when you connect to an existing disk database - (steps: "New Database" > "Connect" tab > select new folder, specify name) - Resolve makes changes to that folder.
Similarly, creating a new disk database - (steps: "New Database" > "Create" tab > select existing database folder, specify name) - makes changes to that newly created folder.

While your intention was to create a new database and copy-paste content from the original database, the diagnostics and descrption in this thread indicate that you reconnected to D:/DaVinci Databases multiple times, and this led to the deletion of common content from the underlying folder.
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Re: It Can Happen To You Too

PostFri May 22, 2020 10:54 am

Shrinivas Ramani wrote:Eric,

If you have any drive backups, diskdb backup files or drp exports before deleting projects from each database connection, we will need to fallback on those.

I thought that would be the case.

If you have a drive backup, access the backup and copy Backup:/DaVinci Databases as D:/Davinci DB Backup/ and disconnect the backup promptly for safety. Connect to this database folder via the New database button. Copy the missing content to the original big database.

For the diskdb backup files from your screenshot:
• in D: create a new folder called DiskDB Backups. Move the diskdb files there so they're out of the way.
Okay I did this.
• in Project Manager, click Restore, select a diskdb file from the backups directory (example: ifcj_drtv.diskdb), select a new folder (example: D:/Restored Projects/ifcj_drtv).
• Wait for the restore process to complete.
• Repeat for other diskdb files - please remember to select *new folders* under Restored Projects for each database.

By Select New Folders, I am assuming you are actually meaning that I should create a new folder for each database disk and then select that created folder? Correct?

If you have drp exports,
• create & connect to a new database (with a new empty folder).
Creating a new database is not so easy because of the error I have regarding permissions. I have given full write control to every folder I can imagine to but no dice.

• drag the drp files in or double-click them to import.

In the project manager, please verify your new data and then disconnect from all database connections pointing to "D:/DaVinci Databases" (note: this does not delete the folder - so you can make a new connection later to finish the training).

---

Before I get into what happened, please note that Resolve database operations are discussed in pages 97-107 in the Resolve manual.

In the manual it says "If you’re using Disk Databases to manage your projects". Does this mean that there is way to not use databases at all?? Frankly, I am not really seeing the wisdom of databases. I can create my own folder structure to store project files. Let DR see MY folder structure and I can open project files as desired.

In the manual it says, "Also, you can optimize a disk database" what is this and what does it do? When do I need to do it. The manual doesn't describe the optimization process.

Oversimplifying for summary, the disk database is the folder from a Resolve user's perspective. There's projects and settings and other data inside - but the folder is logically the database.
So when you connect to an existing disk database - (steps: "New Database" > "Connect" tab > select new folder, specify name) - Resolve makes changes to that folder.
Similarly, creating a new disk database - (steps: "New Database" > "Create" tab > select existing database folder, specify name) - makes changes to that newly created folder.

While your intention was to create a new database and copy-paste content from the original database, the diagnostics and descrption in this thread indicate that you reconnected to D:/DaVinci Databases multiple times, and this led to the deletion of common content from the underlying folder.


I would love to know what you think the process was that I used to copy existing databases and then delete folders/projects from each of them.
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Shrinivas Ramani

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Re: It Can Happen To You Too

PostSat May 23, 2020 2:14 pm

A summary of the main disk database operations explained in file system equivalents (paraphrased from the manual):
• You create new folders when creating new databases. If you point it to non-empty folders, it shows an error.
• Context clicking and choosing "disconnect" hides the database listing from the project manager. It doesn't delete the DB folder.
• Clicking "New Database > Connect" allows you to find a database folder and "unhide" the listing. It's not advisable to add multiple listings.
• You can "backup" the database using the "archive" button and "restore" the backup archive (the diskdb file) as a new database folder.
• You can optimise a postgresql database. You dont need to optimise a disk database, so the option isnt provided.

Disk databases allow you to specify any path you want as long as you have write permissions there. If you desire, you can choose to locate the database folder alongside the customer project media. Some do follow this workflow. Others prefer a central location for all their projects completely separated from the media. Yet others follow a custom organisation - the forum has multiple discussions on people's workflows and how people organise disk databases to suit their needs.

Creating and modifying a disk database needs write permissions for that path - this is dependent on your system and disk set up. We cannot bypass this protocol for any OS.

Can you elaborate the steps you took to copy your existing database?
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IsraEliteMedia

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Re: It Can Happen To You Too

PostSat May 23, 2020 4:25 pm

Shrinivas Ramani wrote:A summary of the main disk database operations explained in file system equivalents (paraphrased from the manual):
• You create new folders when creating new databases. If you point it to non-empty folders, it shows an error.
My folder could not be any more empty.

• Context clicking and choosing "disconnect" hides the database listing from the project manager. It doesn't delete the DB folder.
• Clicking "New Database > Connect" allows you to find a database folder and "unhide" the listing. It's not advisable to add multiple listings.
• You can "backup" the database using the "archive" button and "restore" the backup archive (the diskdb file) as a new database folder.
• You can optimise a postgresql database. You dont need to optimise a disk database, so the option isnt provided.

Disk databases allow you to specify any path you want as long as you have write permissions there.

This is where things get wonky with Davinci Resolve. It gets sold as an OS/operator erro problem but the simple fact is while operating other programs I don't encounter these type of errors. What in the H are we really talking about? I only use my computer as an Administrator single user setup. Simplify this process. If all my other programs Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop or Vegas or Premier Pro or whatever never give these type of errors when saving why does Davinci Resolve?

If you desire, you can choose to locate the database folder alongside the customer project media. Some do follow this workflow. Others prefer a central location for all their projects completely separated from the media. Yet others follow a custom organisation - the forum has multiple discussions on people's workflows and how people organise disk databases to suit their needs.

Why do we need databases at all??????????????

Creating and modifying a disk database needs write permissions for that path - this is dependent on your system and disk set up. We cannot bypass this protocol for any OS.

Can you elaborate the steps you took to copy your existing database?
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Marc Wielage

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Re: It Can Happen To You Too

PostSun May 24, 2020 5:46 am

IsraEliteMedia wrote:[Why do we need databases at all??????????????

This is the way Resolve is designed. Have you read the manual? Have you tried any of the tutorials? A lot of this is very, very basic information that is dealt with early on in the manual.

BTW, I think you will communicate more efficiently if you just excerpt the piece of the message you're answering, rather than cutting and pasting the entire message. Much less bandwidth that way.

Don't necessarily compare the way Resolve works with everything else. There's a lot going on "under the hood" with Resolve, and know going in that the database is a big part of this. You can always choose to back up outside the database, but it's going to need to run with the database by design. Solving permissions problems is doable, and that's an OS issue and not a Resolve issue per se.
marc wielage, csi • VP/color & workflow • chroma | hollywood
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Re: It Can Happen To You Too

PostTue May 26, 2020 6:02 am

Marc Wielage wrote:
IsraEliteMedia wrote:[Why do we need databases at all??????????????

This is the way Resolve is designed. Have you read the manual? Have you tried any of the tutorials? A lot of this is very, very basic information that is dealt with early on in the manual.

Marc, thank you for your reply. You seem to be saying my problems are essentially my fault. If I would read the manual, there likely wouldn't be a problem. I have read every word that I could find about database management in the manual. Frankly, it's only about 10 pages. Very simple, but there is nothing about how to solve the OS problem of permissions. Because after all, that's an administrator/Windows problem, not a Blackmagic problem.

I am for sure not an IT windows administrator but frankly I don't think BM wants there software to require that level of a technician to use the software. I know how to share drives and folders and I know how to go into the permissions and to change the users to full control. Those changes do not solve the problem. IMO, if those changes don't solve the "can't create database" error then BM has a problem.

I guess we fundamentally disagree also if other software applications and their operation is relevant to my expectations for BM. The truth is no one on the forum or BM has offered an explanation how to solve my problem. Only to reassure me that it is a Windows OS thing. No one really wants to try to solve the problem. They will offer solutions for lots of other different problems but not for this. Why is that??


BTW, I think you will communicate more efficiently if you just excerpt the piece of the message you're answering, rather than cutting and pasting the entire message. Much less bandwidth that way.

Don't necessarily compare the way Resolve works with everything else. There's a lot going on "under the hood" with Resolve, and know going in that the database is a big part of this. You can always choose to back up outside the database, but it's going to need to run with the database by design. Solving permissions problems is doable, and that's an OS issue and not a Resolve issue per se.
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DR Studio 18.6.6 (2 seats) Win 11 Pro (fully updated)
13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-13900K 3.00 GHz
128GB RAM DDR5
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Studio Driver 551.86

Erik Davis, IsraEliteMedia--Zichron Yaakov, Israel

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