Databases

Lots of Databases. As of December, 2001, CaseFinder contained 19 databases on two CD discs. Every month, usually around the 20th, we ship a new set of discs to subscribers. Each monthly set of discs contains everything that the previous month's discs contained, along with all the new decisions, or newly-amended or enacted statutes, in all databases for that month. Thus, the November discs contain everything that the October discs contained, along with all the decisions that were handed down through the end of November. It generally takes a few days after the end of the month for us to get all of the decisions for that month from the various courts, after which it takes about another ten days to proofread, format, organize and index everything for the new set of discs. (Of course, CaseFinder has built-in access to a private searchable website that is updated every day, so our customers need never miss a case waiting for the next monthly discs.)

Lots of Hyperlinks. CaseFinder is heavily hyperlinked. A hyperlink in a document on one CD will often point to a document contained on the other CD. If none of the CaseFinder databases had been transferred to the hard drive, and only one CD drive is being used, clicking on a hyperlink for a document that's on the other CD will generate a message asking the user to insert the other CD. Then, after the linked document comes up, clicking on the "Back" button will generate the message again, asking the user to insert the original CD. Since state materials are on one disc and federal materials are on the other disc, a user who only accesses materials from one CD won't be very inconvenienced. However, when using databases from both disks to any extent switching CDs will get old fast.

Other Cross-Referencing. In addition to hyperlinking, CaseFinder can run a search request upon multiple databases at one time. If the databases to be searched come from both CDs, with no databases on the hard drive and only a single CD drive, the program will prompt the user to insert the other CD one or more times. Another feature of CaseFinder is the "CitedIn" function; when viewing a document, clicking the CitedIn button will provide a list of all the cases — from all databases on both CDs — that cite the document being viewed. Clicking any document on the list will bring it up in the document viewer. This is another instance where switching CDs could be tedious.

Solutions to Switching CDs.

1. Good. Make a second CD drive available to CaseFinder, and put one CD in each drive. This works, but we don't recommend it.

2. Better. Transfer the databases from one of the CD discs to the hard drive of a computer on the network, leaving the other CD disc in the CD drive. Because hard drives are much faster than CD drives, it makes sense to transfer the databases that are used the most often to the hard drive. An option in the installation program will let you choose which databases to transfer when you're installing CaseFinder. When the next set of monthly discs arrives and CaseFinder is updated, it will know which databases were put on the hard drive, and will automatically transfer any files required to update them.

3. Best. The fastest alternative is to put all of the databases from both CDs on a hard drive. However, even when all the databases are on the hard drive, CaseFinder still needs to find a CaseFinder CD in the CD drive before the program will start. To eliminate the need for having a CD in the drive, acquire and install one or more concurrent use permits.

Database Locations.

In a networked installation, whether the databases are left on the CDs or transferred to a hard drive, they do not have to be on the same computer as the application directory. However, it is critical that the CD drive or hard drive can be accessed by all of the workstations that are to run CaseFinder. In addition, that drive needs to be "shared" and all of the users who are to have access to CaseFinder should have their permissions set so they can read from it. ¹ In addition, each of the workstations should see that location the same way; in other words, the path to that location must be the same for all workstations. This is discussed next.

The paths.txt File.

CaseFinder always looks first in a "default" location for its databases. When you start CaseFinder, the file casefind.exe in the application folder is loaded into the memory of your computer, and it remembers the location of the application folder. When it looks for its databases, it starts by looking in sub-folders under the application folder.

If CaseFinder doesn't find its databases under the application folder, it opens a file named paths.txt from the application folder. This is a plain-text file which can be opened and edited with the Windows Notepad. It will contain one or more drive letters and/or network paths. During installation, the letter of the CD drive containing the CaseFinder disc is recorded in the paths.txt file. ² In addition, if during installation databases were transferred to the hard drive, the location of that hard drive will have been recorded in the paths.txt file. CaseFinder will search for its databases on the paths recorded in the paths.txt file.

If after the foregoing, CaseFinder has still not found all its databases, it will looks for them in any local CD drives. Any databases which are ulitmately not found will appear "ghosted" on CaseFinder's search request screen.

Transferring the Databases.

When you install CaseFinder, you will be given the option to transfer databases to the hard drive.

FOOTNOTES:

1. If you don't know how to set the permissions for the users on your network, please don't call us. We try to offer the best support possible for CaseFinder, and we won't be able to do that if we're spending all our time teaching people how to run their networks. We have to draw the line somewhere.

2. Paths in the paths.txt must be read from the point of view of the workstation. Example: A file server is equipped with a single hard drive ("C:") and a single (local) CD drive ("D"). That CD drive is shared so that it can be accessed by the workstations. All of the workstations also have a single hard drive ("C") and a single (local) CD drive ("D"). The workstations must "see" the shared CD drive on the file server as something other than D, because D is their own local CD drive. Thus, the server's CD drive may be "mapped" to the workstations as "E".

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