Database efficiency DTPO 2

DEVONthink Tips
1

I noticed my DTPO 1 (GHMDatabase.dtBase) db is 145 MB and when I opened and saved it as DTPO 2 (GHMDatabase.dtBase2) it’s 45 MB. I think everything is still there, is it just that the compression is different (better) in DTPO 2?

Thanks

2

Suppose your database contains a lot of RTFD and WebArchive files, with many images in those files.

In DT 1, those filetypes were stored inside the monolithic database, and also appeared in each of the internal Backup folders.

In DT 2, all filetypes are stored inside the Files.noindex folder, inside the database package file. Those images no longer need to be loaded into memory when the database is opened, and are not stored in each of the internal Backup folders.

So the file storage space of such a database could become much smaller in DT 2 than it was in DT 1.

3

That’s what I was wondering. Stupid DTPO 2 newbie question now, where are those files stored on my HDD?

It’s a database of OCR’d PDFs and regular PDFs primarily.

Thanks

4

The database itself is a package file and is probably located in your Documents folder.

To see the location of a database file, choose File > Database Properties, in DEVONthink. The location on your hard drive is shown at the top of the Database Properties panel.

All of the files in your DEVONthink 2.0 database are stored inside the package file, within the Files. noindex folder. You can select a package file in the Finder and Control-click on it, then choose the option, “Show Package Contents”. But PLEASE don’t move, delete or modify anything inside; here, there be dragons — disaster lurks! To revert to the package file view, just close the folder window.

Of course, at any time all of the files in your database can be copied to the Finder from the Files.noindex folder (but don’t make a copy while the database is open, as the copy might be incomplete). Remember, you can Export (Files > Export > FIles & Folders) all of the files within your database, with the resulting folder structure the same as the organization of groups and documents you set up in the database.