How To Safely Break Large DB Into Smaller DBs

[Ken45140]

My current DB is 596,300 kb and takes noticeable time to save. I want to SAFELY break the database into two or more smaller DBs. Main topics in the Tree are natural places to make the break. Specifically, how do I do this safely, meaning without any loss of notes and winding up with two (or more) working DBs? Further, how to direct the program to open one of the DBs upon startup?
Thanks for your specific advice.
Ken

[vlad]

First of all, overall database size has no impact on overall program performance and startup time. AllMyNotes is loading only single note content in to the base memory - currently edited/viewed note. It will not parse all notes even on performing global search. It's equally fast to start to and to work no matter how many notes you have. At this point I see no sense in breaking your big database to many. And 500Mb is not that big size - many user have databases bigger than 2 Gb

Regarding performance I can give you only two recommendations:
1. Try to keep individual note size under 50-100Mb limit, this way it will be fast enough to open individual notes. Major spaces eaters are big images and attached files. Images are compressed, so basically need to story big data files not as attachments but as hyperlinks to local files, AllMyNotes supports this kind of hyperlinks.
2. The backup time may be relatively big for big files. If this an issue you can decrease automatic backup interval in backup settings.

Now, if from some other reason you still need two or more databases. It's easy to create two or more databases using menu item File -> New. To open them all simultaneously just double-click on them in file file explorer. To move data between databases you can use clipboard or drag&drop. I recommend to copy not everything at once but by copying small pieces (folders) as the clipboard size is limited and may not fit all the unpacked images (for example, for 100Mb of notes containing images it may require 2Gb of ram).

To open certain DB(s) on Windows startup just put a shortut to your .ddb data file(s) in to the Start->Programs->Startup folder.

[Ken45140]

Vlad: thanks for your reply, very informative and instructive. Regarding your comment
"overall database size has no impact on overall program performance and startup time."

When I first start using the AMN on any day (often I do not shut down my computer or AMN and leave the computer in sleep mode overnight), and begin to enter a note or some other task, everything stops dead and the message box at the left hand bottom says "Saving...Please wait". As my DB has grown (yes 500Mb may not be large but it is larger than it was) and the time I wait for saving to occur is growing longer and longer. I will have to put a stopwatch on it, but I would guess it is above 5 seconds approaching 10 seconds. True this may be a function of the hard drive speed I have and other factors, and I certainly know the speed of searching is not effected, but the pause while saving in the middle of other work is getting longer. What will happen when my DB reached 1GB or even 2GB. I have hard time believing this aspect of use has not come up before or to you. But this is the basis for thinking multiple DBs might be "helpful" in avoiding these seldom but growing delays. Do not missuderstand. AMN is my most used program, offers me much utility, I am a fan and will not give it up.

Any reaction to this description?
Thanks very much,
Ken