Overview of the PCS Databases

The PCS application uses three databases to store and manage PCS data: the main PCS database, an Images database, and an Export database.

  • Main PCS database — contains all data necessary for the successful use of PCS, including PCS data, settings, and customizations.

  • Images database — named by appending _Images to the end of the main PCS database name; contains all images that have been attached to an images field for a record in PCS.

  • Export database — named by appending _Export to the end of the main PCS database name; contains the data exported by the beta Export to Table feature.

While the Images and Export databases must exist alongside the PCS database to use the Image Management and Export to Table features, we have designed PCS to work independent of the data in the Images and Export databases. References to the images, as well as the descriptions and properties of the image, exist within the main PCS database. If the corresponding image does not exist in the Images database, the image will not show but all other information for the image remains.

The following are some common questions about the creation, use, and maintenance of the PCS databases.

Can I Create My Own PCS Databases

No. PCS depends upon a specific schema in the PCS databases, and in the case of the main PCS database, certain data must exist in the database. To create missing PCS databases, such as the Images or Export database, click Create/Upgrade in the PCS Connection Manager. The missing databases will be created with the proper schema but without PCS data.

Any user who clicks Create/Upgrade in the PCS Connection Manager during the upgrade/installation process must have permissions to create and modify a SQL database.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, give us a call at 1-800-229-3404 or email us at support@aiworldwide.com.

Which PCS Databases Should I Backup?

You should regularly back up all or some of your PCS databases based on the needs of your organization, including complying with state and federal regulations and corporate IT policies. This may mean that both the main PCS and the Images databases are backed up, or if server space is a concern, only a portion of the main PCS database is backed up on a regular basis. Since it contains a subset of the data that existed in the PCS database at a specific point of time, the Export database does not typically need to be backed up.

If you restore the backup of the PCS database without an Images database, records in the backup with attached images will still contain the information about the images, but the images themselves will not be made available. If, however, you restore the Images database with the main PCS database or the original Images database still exists when you restored the backup, those images will be available in PCS.

Do I Have to Have the Images and Export Databases?

Yes, if you want to use either the Image Management or Export to Table features. These databases can remain empty of actual PCS content, but in order to use the corresponding feature in PCS, they must have been created in the PCS Connection Manager.

If you do not have an Images database in your SQL instance, you cannot use an images field in a grid layout or form of Edit Module Data, include an images field in a report, or have an images field in a prompt sent to or received from a field computer. Adding these fields to a layout or form theme or in a report, or sending or receiving field computer data with the images field in a prompt will result in errors.

The Export database must exist if you use the Export to Table feature in the Bridge.

How Do I Send PCS Databases for Technical Assistance

You can send a backup of just the main PCS database to AI Support for troubleshooting assistance or data projects without impacting the use of images in PCS. Simply backup and send your main PCS database to AI or your database administrator. The AI Support team can assist in your data needs without accessing the images or impacting links to images in the Images database.