Data Management

Each user installs the Silver-Owl software and uses it to connect to a “central” database.

The central database may be accessed via a local company network, in which case data access will be almost instantaneous most of the time, or it can be remote and linked over the internet using a VPN (Virtual Private Network). In this case some facilities may sometimes appear to be slower to respond – this is related to the speed of the internet connection.

The central database can be either a MS-Access file on a shared network drive, or an MS-SQL Server database accessed via TCP/IP. Silver-Owl can use the freely available version of both databases.

You can have multiple central databases if you wish. However each is entirely self contained.

The Silver-Owl software includes a separate “Silver-Owl Administration” utility that allows each user to select which central database they wish to access. If a user changes database any locally stored data is first automatically wiped out so that there is no cross-contamination.

Every time you go into one of the options, Silver-Owl checks what data you need and downloads it if you haven't already got it. Using Silverstar’s system of versioning, it works out what (if anything) has changed that you already have locally, and replaces it. Obviously the more that has changed, the more you need to download and the longer it takes.

If you are operating over a local network you will hardly notice, however when using the internet it may sometimes take a second or two, depending on how much data you need to download and how fast your connection speed is.

The way Silver-Owl decides whether to download new data varies depending on the data. Four different techniques are used, each of which is applied where most appropriate.

All data processing is done locally and any updated or new records are uploaded back to the central database.

Silver-Owl also uses Silverstar’s own system of data locking so that if someone else is changing something that you want to change, it prevents you. Where possible it will give you a read-only copy instead and tell you who is currently updating it.

Record locking is automatically applied according to what you are doing and only prevents user activity where necessary.