Process - Delete custom fields MOPS2007

[Quized again]

In MSP Server 2002 and 2003 there existed pitfalls in regard to deleting
custom fields before clearing the values from files (as I recall, I corrupted
a database doing just that).

In MOPS2007, is it still true that there should be a process involving
removing the "required" tag, removing the values in all files for all fields
to be deleted, then delete the fields via the Admin pane of PWA?

Or can I wipe out fields with abandon? I worry about orphaning records
and/or causing corruption should a future field be created with a previously
deleted name.

Yea! Conference 2009!
Thanks!
QA

 

[Ben Howard]

Hi Quized again (or should that be quizzed again?)
As you know, in 2007 ECFs are implemented slightly differently with lookup
tables. So, you can delete the field but leave the lookup table . If you
need to do both, delete the field and then the lookup table. Would I delete
them, no, not straight away, just make them non-mandatory and rename them so
that they appear at the bottom of the list. I'd then delete them after a few
months (I like gradual change).

 

[Quized again]

Yes it should be Quizzed. But perpetually perplexed works also!
I get what you are saying and I like the phased approach. But what about the
records in the database? Once we had data in a ECF but now the ECF is deleted
so what happens to all the data? Does it get orphaned in the database? Does
the act of deleting the ECF automatically remove the data that existed in the
ECF?

in 2003 (or was it 2002?) you could delete the ECF and orphan all these data
bits that used to populate the ECF in your files. Then you could recreate the
ECF and all those pieces of data automatically re-attached themselves to the
ECF that you recreated and viola, your projects had all these coded ECFs
again. I know SQL is different, but just wondering how different. If you can
simply delete the ECF and all's well, then that is a significantly nice thing.

Thanks Ben!
QA