[dyednwool]

We are interested in "unembedding" our media objects so that we can place them onto a dedicated drive and create them as linked media. The reason for this is that we experienced degraded performance in our FE database which had lots of embedded media objects.

We do not want to repeat that experience in RE, so our IT manager has made it a policy to no longer embed media objects but link to them instead. In order to be consistent, we'd like to yank out all the other embedded objects so that all our media objects are in the same place. Also, if we ever go to a document management system the documents would be available to that system (vs. being embedded in media records).

Of course the question came up -- Blackbaud has a utility for this, some way so we don't have to open all those embedded objects, right????

My thoughts were yeah right, don't think so -- but I checked the Knowledgebase and there's solution BB78424 which states: Unable to extract embedded media objects. "Filed as a suggestion"

So, 1) has anyone tackled this project and 2) any suggestions for how to tackle it?

[Rhonda Oakley]

So you are saying that scanning things into the media tab in RE will make it slow down in performance?

[dyednwool]

Rhonda -



Before I started my work at this organization, they did a large scanning
project in Financial Edge and experienced significant performance
issues. So based on that experience and a lack of a clear answer from
Blackbaud on the PERFORMANCE (not space/storage) impact of embedded
objects, we decided to play it safe and mandate that all media objects
use linking vs. embedding.







Gina Gerhard

Business Systems Analyst



New Hampshire Charitable Foundation

37 Pleasant Street, Concord, NH 03301-4005

603-225-6641 x1243 | 800-464-6641 x1243 | 603-225-1700 Fax

dyednwool dyednwool> | www.nhcf.org
<http://www.nhcf.org/>

Improving the quality of life in the communities we serve

P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

________________________________

From: Rhonda Oakley [mailto:]
Sent: Monday, April 28, 2008 4:17 PM
To: Gina Gerhard
Subject: [Records-t-3381] RE: Extracting media objects



So you are saying that scanning things into the media tab in RE will
make it slow down in performance?

[Melissa Siobhan]

This has been discussed before so also search the archives in addition to this thread. My understanding is that filling up the server that the database lives on in any way will effect performance as the amount of free space diminishes.

This can be caused by embedding media objects OR by saving the documents on the server and linking them. If you save the documents on another network server then link them they should have little effect on your database performance.

If you have gobs of space on your server you theoretically can make your database as large as you want with embedded media objects without encountering performance issues. I do not believe that the size of the database or the media objects is the issue - but the amount of free space left on the server.

Someone with more technical experience than me can correct me if I am wrong.

[Melissa Siobhan]

In addition, embedding does provide more security for the files as you have less fear that the linked items can be moved, deleted, renamed - making the links completely useless.

Trust me it can be near impossible to stop an IT department from reconfiguring your network servers and moving files on you without checking with you first.

I believe that BB recommends embedding if you have the capacity on your database server.

[Vinojd1]

You are correct though BB will insist not - but be sure to use a UNC
path (Universal Naming Convention - see BB solution number 22241 ) so
that your links aren't broken when (if) you should change location of
the documents presently identified in your link by a 'mapped' drive,



Jim DiGiovanni
Application Manager, CSM
Wycliffe Bible Translators
407-852-3756
407-459-6756 (cell)
407-852-3601 (fax)
Vinojd1 Vinojd1>
Life is a series of short equations Jim DiGiovanni
A man's silence is wonderful to listen to.
- Thomas Hardy <http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/32998.html>
I think it would be a good idea.(when asked what he thought of Western
civilization) Mahatma Gandhi
Most men are within a finger's breadth of being mad- Diogenes the Cynic
<http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/23583.html>
My mother loved children -- she would have given anything if I had been
one.
- Groucho Marx <http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/1154.html>





________________________________

From: Melissa Siobhan [mailto:]
Sent: Monday, May 05, 2008 10:43 AM
To: DiGiovanni, Jim
Subject: [Records-t-3381] RE: Extracting media objects



This has been discussed before so also search the archives in addition
to this thread. My understanding is that filling up the server that the
database lives on in any way will effect performance as the amount of
free space diminishes.

This can be caused by embedding media objects OR by saving the documents
on the server and linking them. If you save the documents on another
network server then link them they should have little effect on your
database performance.

If you have gobs of space on your server you theoretically can make your
database as large as you want with embedded media objects without
encountering performance issues. I do not believe that the size of the
database or the media objects is the issue - but the amount of free
space left on the server.

Someone with more technical experience than me can correct me if I am
wrong.