MeSue;445258 Wrote:
> Just curious... Is there any difference between one or the other? Do
> they both import the same data? Is one or the other any faster?
>
> If you have MIP being dynamically updated with stats, but a Trackstat
> restore is scheduled for once a day, then the MIP stats should be the
> most up to date, and it would be preferable to restore this, wouldn't
> it?
I suppose you with "MusicIP Stats restore" are talking about the
"MusicIP Statistics Import" module provided by TrackStat and shown in
the Custom Scan user interface ?
Assuming you do, the difference is as follows:
TrackStat restore:
- Always writes the information in the TrackStat backup file directly
to the database, if there already is information for a track it will be
overwritten.
- Restores both latest state and historical information for each track
with information about exactly when it has been rated/played not just
the last time.
- Information in the database for tracks that isn't in the TrackStat
backup file won't be removed. To remove this data you need to do a
"Remove all data" operation from the TrackStat settings page before
starting the restore.
MusicIP Statistics Import:
- Play counts are only imported if they are higher in MusicIP
- Last played times are only imported if play count is higher in
MusicIP and the last played time is newer in MusicIP
- Ratings are always imported
- It will only restore the latest state for each track, no historical
information is imported regarding exactly when you have played or rated
a track before it was last rated and played.
The reason MusicIP is a bit smarter is to make it possible to have a
two way synchronization with the Export/Import modules. This makes more
sense for the iTunes Import/Export modules where you might have played
some tracks on the iPod and played other tracks on SqueezeCenter and
then you don't want everything in iTunes to overwrite SqueezeCenter
data.
There is a risk to accidentally overwrite ratings during two way
synchronization, so the order is important to avoid this. I think the
correct procedure to do a two way synchronization with iTunes is:
1. Synchronize the iPod with iTunes
2. Run the TrackStatiTunesUpdate.pl script to update iTunes with the
change file since last time (this only exports incremental changes, not
everything in the SqueezeCenter dataabse)
3. Run the iTunes Statistics Import module to update SqueezeCenter with
all new ratings and play counts produced by the iPod
If you perform step 2 before step 3 it will make sure that iTunes is
updated with the latest SqueezeCenter changes before you run step 3 to
import it the other way. This way there isn't any risk that old iTunes
ratings overwrite newer ratings in SqueezeCenter.
Step 2 would in the MusicIP case be the same as having the "Dynamically
update statistics" option enabled in the MusicIP Statistics Export
module.
So to sum it up:
- If you don't care about historical information, you should be fine
doing a "MusicIP Statistics Import"
- If you want a complete restore you should use the TrackStat restore
option
The historical information is barely used in TrackStat, I think it's
only used in some TrackStat browse menus/playlists called "... recently
played ...". I've actually been thinking about removing it as I think
that most users only really need the latest state to be able to get the
browsing/playlist functionality they want.
Another reason to remove the historical information is that there isn't
anything similar in the standard SqueezeCenter database. Currenlty
TrackStat stores its information in separate tables to be able to have
the above mentioned merge logic during two way synchronization but
eventually I think I will switch so it uses the standard SqueezeCenter
tables and then there isn't a place for the historical information.
Today SqueezeCenter is able to persistently store statistics so it
survives a rescan without TrackStat. TrackStat is only needed to make it
possible to browse the statistics, do two way synchronzation and to
change ratings directly in SqueezeCenter. As an example, if you use
iTunes and only change ratings directly in iTunes or iPod, the latest
ratings will be imported from iTunes to SqueezeCenter during a
SqueezeCenter rescan without TrackStat.
--
erland
Erland Isaksson
'My homepage' (http://erland.isaksson.info) (Install my plugins through
Extension Downloader)
(Developer of 'TrackStat, SQLPlayList, DynamicPlayList, Custom Browse,
Custom Scan, Custom Skip, Multi Library, Title Switcher and Database
Query plugins'
(http://wiki.erland.isaksson.info/index.php/Category:SlimServer))
erland's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=3124
View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=66261
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