Max number of images in Iview catalogue

[gudbjargarson]

Hello.

It has been a few months since I checked out IView Media pro and then the max numbers of images in a catalogue made me decide not to use it and stick with IMatch.  I have about 150k of images (most in DNG form) and would like to have it in one catalogue like I can in IMatch.  IDimager I think can also have more images than IView and I got excelent support when evaluating it but speed and the interface was not good enough reson to abandon IMatch.  Later this year I will hopefully use Lightroom for my DAM workflow.

If one catalogue in Iview can handle my 150k+ images I think I will use that until Lightroom will be realesed for Windows.  Does anybody know about current catalogue restrictions in IView (splitting my images into multiple catalogues is not an option for me)?

Regards,
Johann
http://joephotos.net

[havezet]

IDimager I think can also have more images than IView and I got excelent support when evaluating it but speed and the interface was not good enough reson to abandon IMatch.

Hi Johann, today idImager Pro 3.2 is released and this version uses SQLServer as its database. This opens the door to unlimited number of images (SqlServer2005) in a non-proprietary and professional open database system that allows integration to many other solutions available.
Many speed issues from the early V3 releases are already addressed.

Hert

[johnbeardy]

Hert

I wouldn't go as far as to describe SQLServer as "non proprietary" but I'm sure it's a postive step for a developer to add such a scalable back end.

Can I ask, is the database secured or would one be able to hook up an ODBC query to it?

John

[havezet]

Can I ask, is the database secured or would one be able to hook up an ODBC query to it?

Hi John,

The database is not secured and any database user with dbo rights (e.g. the default sa user) will be able to access the image data. You could use ODBC or ADO or any other technology that allows you hook up to SQLServer.

Hert

[johnbeardy]

Hi Hert

That's great. I'm immediately thinking triggers and stored procedures to update keywords and other metadata, and tie ins to billing systems and web output.

Again, I slightly differ with your wording and say that what you describe is secured in a normal SQL Server data access sense but not encrypted or locked away in some proprietary format. Have you implented user level data access too?

John

[havezet]

Again, I slightly differ with your wording and say that what you describe is secured in a normal SQL Server data access sense but not encrypted or locked away in some proprietary format.

You are correct here, "proprietary" might not have been the best wording; I wanted to put the accent on the fact that IDI uses a database that is "generally" accessable by 3rd party tools.

Have you implented user level data access too?

Professional Edition does not include multi user access. That part is implemented, but not deployed with the Professional Edition. The Business Edition for example is multi user aware and allows multiple users to be granted access and have specific authorizations on the main objects of the application (catalog, image). The Business Edition is not available for public use and is currently being used by some larger publishers here in the Benelux. I am planning on releasing a Workgroup edition to the public once, depending on the level of demand for it.


I like how you talk about the triggers etc. Basically that comes close to something that one of the next IDI releases will have..."event scripting" (already in, but still disabled). Event Scripting will allow the user to extend the applications behavior on many events that occur inside the app. E.g. execute this piece of script code once you have assigned a label or if you delete an image from the file system, do this... etc tc I'm sure your imagination can come up with a lot more samples...

Hert

[billseymour]

idimager Q for Hert-

On maximum number of images possible in new idimager. You said:

"... and this version uses SQLServer as its database. This opens the door to unlimited number of images (SqlServer2005) ..."

If I understand, SqlServer is a multi-thousand dollar app.

So the Q: What is maximum number of images possible in idimager using SQL Express?

Thanks- Bill S.

[johnbeardy]

I know the limit on the file size is 4gb, but Hert will have to say how that translates into records. But unlike iView, it's very welcome that the program has such an upgrade path into a much larger scale database.

John

[billseymour]

Thanks John for the info.

I can't recall if this has been mentioned elsewhere, but do you know if idimager stores the thumbnail images apart from the catalog itself?

(If I understand a difference between iView vs portfolio- if I have it right, by portfolio storing thumbnails apart from catalog, this keeps catalog size down, thus allowing greater number of images to 'fit' into catalog)

Interested in whether idimager also achieves an improvement in this way, too.
-Bill

[johnbeardy]

Bill

A correction - Portfolio stores the thumbnails in the catalogue but larger previews externally as jpegs, while iView stores both in the catalogue file

John

[billseymour]

Ah, thanks for correction. That was the 'space saving' I was thinking of.

So the Q is: does idimager store larger previews externally as jpegs, thus helping efficiency of catalog size?
-Bill

[wombat2010]

So the Q is: does idimager store larger previews externally as jpegs, thus helping efficiency of catalog size?

Yes, idimager keeps thumbs in a separate folder, cleverly named "Thumbs," thus allowing all of the space to be used for the catalog information.  Thus, even in the Personal Edition, it would take a *lot* of images to reach the limit.

Stephen

[billseymour]

Stephen-
Good- thanks for the information- between 4 gig catalog size and thumbs in separate folder, sounds like a lot of elbow room for images in catalog.

-Bill