for the tragical background of this question please have a look at my other post: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12698
The question is:
I want to compare a backup of a DTPRO Office Database with the current version.
The backup database “lives” in a disk image (a clone of my data partition) and so it has the same name as the original one. However, it contains indexed documents which now exist in the backup as well as in the original partition…
Can I rename the backup database e. g. to DB_V1.dtbase2 and open it side by side with the current version to compare them?
What will happen to the indexed paths? Will they point to the disk image or to the original partition?
Should I move the renamed copy to the original partition and close the disk image, before opening the renamed copy in DTPro?
I originally answered this post affirmatively, saying nothing bad would happen, then I tried it.
In fact, DT gets upset with two database with the same name, and then loses the ability to track “recent databases”. As with the problem you mentioned in your linked post, I’m not able to successfuly do what you’re proposing.
… and if you rename the database file?
(I suppose it does not change the internal name of the DB and bad things might happen?)
Might it also be dangerous to open the backup db at all (even while the current one is closed), as it could damage cached files or something else which belongs to the current db?
You should be able to change the name of the backup database file in the Finder, but be sure to do that while it is closed.
To avoid any possible confusion (either by you or by DEVONthink) I suggest that you change the name of the current database in Database Properties, so that there will be no chance that both display the same database name in windows when both are then opened.
I’ve opened two slightly different copies of the same database in this way without encountering problems.
But as to your other question, I’m not sure I fully understand the positions of the index paths, so I’ll punt on that one.
