New Database Model ZXDB
Moderator: druellan
Re: New Database Model ZXDB
YEAAAHH!!! Petercanweinstallitcanweinstallitwhencanweinstallitisitinstalledyet?
Re: New Database Model ZXDB
Doing it now [mention]R-Tape[/mention]
You can explain to Mrs J why I went straight into the study when I arrived home!
You can explain to Mrs J why I went straight into the study when I arrived home!
Re: New Database Model ZXDB
Sorry for the delays update fans. We're still getting used to ZX-Ed and fixing a few bugs. We'll start with some small but regular test updates as soon as we can.
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Re: New Database Model ZXDB
A new ZXDB update is available!
This is a small partial update, created with the aid of ZX-Ed for the first time.
This is a small partial update, created with the aid of ZX-Ed for the first time.
Re: New Database Model ZXDB
YEAAAHHHH!! Thanks Einar.Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Sat Jan 12, 2019 6:09 pm This is a small partial update, created with the aid of ZX-Ed for the first time.
Small steps, but we're getting there!
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Re: New Database Model ZXDB
A minor ZXDB update has been released.
In this update, 4 database columns related to product prices ("spanish_price", "microdrive_price", "disk_price", "cartridge_price") are being moved from table "entries" to table "releases". For now, these columns still exist in both tables, so any site referencing these columns at table "entries" can have time to make the proper adjusts. But in next update, they will only exist in table "releases".
There were no major content changes this time. Therefore if SC prefers to skip this release and wait for the next one, that's fine!
In this update, 4 database columns related to product prices ("spanish_price", "microdrive_price", "disk_price", "cartridge_price") are being moved from table "entries" to table "releases". For now, these columns still exist in both tables, so any site referencing these columns at table "entries" can have time to make the proper adjusts. But in next update, they will only exist in table "releases".
There were no major content changes this time. Therefore if SC prefers to skip this release and wait for the next one, that's fine!
Re: New Database Model ZXDB
That's not going to work for titles like Combat School where there are two Spanish releases but only one Spanish price in the entries table.Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Wed Jan 16, 2019 5:57 am In this update, 4 database columns related to product prices ("spanish_price", "microdrive_price", "disk_price", "cartridge_price") are being moved from table "entries" to table "releases".
Also, wouldn't it make more sense to have a single price per release with an additional field for "release_format" (cassette, disk, microdrive, cartridge)?
There's already a "release_price" and a "budget_price" for each release - which should be mutually exclusive - but leads to things like Gryzor where the "Original" release also has a budget price of £2.99, while the actual budget release has it's own price of £3.99.
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Re: New Database Model ZXDB
You are right. I should have given more thought to this. Thanks for pointing this out!StooB wrote: ↑Wed Jan 16, 2019 10:10 amThat's not going to work for titles like Combat School where there are two Spanish releases but only one Spanish price in the entries table.Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Wed Jan 16, 2019 5:57 am In this update, 4 database columns related to product prices ("spanish_price", "microdrive_price", "disk_price", "cartridge_price") are being moved from table "entries" to table "releases".
We shouldn't really have a "spanish_price" column anywhere. Instead, I must identify the correct Spanish release on each case that had this specific price, then assign it as the release price.
OK, I'm working on it now...
No, because a single release may have multiple formats. For instance "Knight Orc" was originally released as both cassette and disk.
Perhaps this name is misleading. The "budget price" refers to a release that was originally launched at a certain "release price", then some time later had the price reduced on stores for the same release.StooB wrote: ↑Wed Jan 16, 2019 10:10 am
There's already a "release_price" and a "budget_price" for each release - which should be mutually exclusive - but leads to things like Gryzor where the "Original" release also has a budget price of £2.99, while the actual budget release has it's own price of £3.99.
For instance, Gryzor was originally released in 1987 by Ocean for £7.95. A while later, the price of this release was eventually reduced to £2.99. Then 4 years later, Gryzor was re-released under the budget label Hit Squad, for the re-release price of £3.99.
Re: New Database Model ZXDB
Yes, perhaps "clearance price" or "reduced price" might be clearer. However, this doesn't seem to have been transferred consistently from the original WoS data.Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Fri Jan 18, 2019 3:05 am
Perhaps this name is misleading. The "budget price" refers to a release that was originally launched at a certain "release price", then some time later had the price reduced on stores for the same release.StooB wrote: ↑Wed Jan 16, 2019 10:10 am There's already a "release_price" and a "budget_price" for each release - which should be mutually exclusive - but leads to things like Gryzor where the "Original" release also has a budget price of £2.99, while the actual budget release has it's own price of £3.99.
For instance, Gryzor was originally released in 1987 by Ocean for £7.95. A while later, the price of this release was eventually reduced to £2.99. Then 4 years later, Gryzor was re-released under the budget label Hit Squad, for the re-release price of £3.99.
eg: Combat School at WoS had a release price of £7.99 and a budget price of £2.99, while the same entry here has a original release price of £7.99, with the £2.99 having moved to the Hit Squad re-release.
Similarly, ACE 2 at WoS has a budget price of £2.99 which has moved on to the Gamebusters re-release in ZXDB.
Also, some prices seems to have been lost in the WoS/ZXDB conversion:
One of Corn Cropper's prices has gone.
The Damned Forest's budget price is missing.
Both prices for Airline have vanished completely!
Knight Orc is a very straightforward case though. You'll need to think about these problems:Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Fri Jan 18, 2019 3:05 amNo, because a single release may have multiple formats. For instance "Knight Orc" was originally released as both cassette and disk.
- None of the Spanish +3 re-releases have disk prices, but you could work out whether there was a disk release by looking in the downloads table and put "Unknown" against the disk price for the Spanish release. This doesn't work for 'denied' titles like Barbarian by Melbourne House - WoS shows that there is a Spanish +3 disk release, with no price, that isn't shown here.
- Alien Research Centre by Zenobi (this one applies to lots of Zenobi releases) - this was originally released on cassette and +3 disk but there's no disk price. Not only that, there's also a re-release on a +D disk, so do you need a +3 disk price column and a +D disk price column?
- Back to ACE 2, and again there is an original +3 disk release without a price, but there are also a differently priced 48K and 128K cassette releases, so you'd also need a 48K Cassette price column and a 128K Cassette price column.
- Worst of all is The Artist II where there is an original 48K cassette release at £14.95, an original 128K cassette release at £17.95, there are original +3 and +D disk releases but only one disk price given which may or may not apply to both!
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Re: New Database Model ZXDB
Thanks for this list of (possible) issues! It's going to take me some time to check each one, I will report later my findings here.
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Re: New Database Model ZXDB
In the meantime, I have just released a new ZXDB update!
Technically columns disk_price, microdrive_price, and cartridge_price were moved to table "releases". It makes more sense to store these values per release, instead of just once per title. Unfortunately there's no way to determine what's the specific release for previously existing information imported from Martijn's WoS that didn't make this distinction, so the only options here are either storing the same information in all releases or in original release only, then manually adjusting it later case-by-case whenever possible. At least this way, every price we store from now on will be more accurate.
Column spanish_price wasn't moved. This is typically the release price of the Spanish release of each game, so I'm now working to identify the proper release for each case and assign this value properly. Approximately a thousand games had a spanish price, I have just reassigned about half of them. I will try to sort the rest in the next update.
I will let R-Tape describe what else he included in this update.
Technically columns disk_price, microdrive_price, and cartridge_price were moved to table "releases". It makes more sense to store these values per release, instead of just once per title. Unfortunately there's no way to determine what's the specific release for previously existing information imported from Martijn's WoS that didn't make this distinction, so the only options here are either storing the same information in all releases or in original release only, then manually adjusting it later case-by-case whenever possible. At least this way, every price we store from now on will be more accurate.
Column spanish_price wasn't moved. This is typically the release price of the Spanish release of each game, so I'm now working to identify the proper release for each case and assign this value properly. Approximately a thousand games had a spanish price, I have just reassigned about half of them. I will try to sort the rest in the next update.
I will let R-Tape describe what else he included in this update.
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Re: New Database Model ZXDB
There's yet another ZXDB update now, containing credits for cover artists.
Re: New Database Model ZXDB
I just read this. Please don't waste time on this - this information came in from the SPA2 database, and the prices are mapped on a per-release basis there.Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Sat Jan 19, 2019 1:19 pm Column spanish_price wasn't moved. This is typically the release price of the Spanish release of each game, so I'm now working to identify the proper release for each case and assign this value properly. Approximately a thousand games had a spanish price, I have just reassigned about half of them. I will try to sort the rest in the next update.
I can send you a copy of the current (provisional) state of the SPA2 datase, so that you can work from this. Please pass me an e-mail address so that I can send a database dump to you.
Cheers
Re: New Database Model ZXDB
and while you're looking at the releases table, I've found another problem! Everything has a release, whether it happened or not.Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Sat Jan 19, 2019 1:04 pm Thanks for this list of (possible) issues! It's going to take me some time to check each one, I will report later my findings here.
eg: Duet was only released on the Hit Pak compilation, but apparently it was released in 1987 at £7.95
(where this price comes from is a mystery as it's not on the original WoS entry or the price of the compilation either)
Unfortunately, it's not just titles that were only released on compilations...
The Eye of the Moon was released by Beyond.
Mire Mare was released by Ultimate!
even Bandersnatch!
Re: New Database Model ZXDB
Hi [mention]StooB[/mention]
The prices I'm taking are from the first release, so I believe the price showing for Duet us the price of the compilation it appeared on.
Peter
The prices I'm taking are from the first release, so I believe the price showing for Duet us the price of the compilation it appeared on.
Peter
Re: New Database Model ZXDB
The compilation price is £9.95 though, not £7.95!
6 Pak compilation:
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/index.p ... 6&id=11197
Re: New Database Model ZXDB
Good point! I need my eyes tested...
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Re: New Database Model ZXDB
The problem is not the information itself. We shouldn't omit the information that Beyond Software was the publisher behind "Eye of the Moon" for instance, although this game was never published therefore it didn't have a publisher!StooB wrote: ↑Tue Jan 22, 2019 10:15 amand while you're looking at the releases table, I've found another problem! Everything has a release, whether it happened or not.Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Sat Jan 19, 2019 1:04 pmThanks for this list of (possible) issues! It's going to take me some time to check each one, I will report later my findings here.
The problem is how to present this information, to avoid misunderstandings. SpectrumComputing has just updated this section, please see if it works for you now.
This price came from SPOT/SPEX.StooB wrote: ↑Tue Jan 22, 2019 10:15 ameg: Duet was only released on the Hit Pak compilation, but apparently it was released in 1987 at £7.95
(where this price comes from is a mystery as it's not on the original WoS entry or the price of the compilation either)
And SPOT/SPEX took this price from Your Sinclair #13. Look at the bottom of this page:
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/mag.php ... 34&page=10
It seems the game was announced as a standalone release for £7.95 but never released this way. Therefore this price should be removed. Right?
Do they look correct now?StooB wrote: ↑Tue Jan 22, 2019 10:15 amUnfortunately, it's not just titles that were only released on compilations...
The Eye of the Moon was released by Beyond.
Mire Mare was released by Ultimate!
even Bandersnatch!
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Re: New Database Model ZXDB
Thank you!!!jpablo wrote: ↑Tue Jan 22, 2019 8:24 amI just read this. Please don't waste time on this - this information came in from the SPA2 database, and the prices are mapped on a per-release basis there.Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Sat Jan 19, 2019 1:19 pm Column spanish_price wasn't moved. This is typically the release price of the Spanish release of each game, so I'm now working to identify the proper release for each case and assign this value properly. Approximately a thousand games had a spanish price, I have just reassigned about half of them. I will try to sort the rest in the next update.
I can send you a copy of the current (provisional) state of the SPA2 datase, so that you can work from this. Please pass me an e-mail address so that I can send a database dump to you.
Cheers
I just sent you a PM
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Re: New Database Model ZXDB
These prices also came from SPOT/SPEX.StooB wrote: ↑Fri Jan 18, 2019 12:33 pm eg: Combat School at WoS had a release price of £7.99 and a budget price of £2.99, while the same entry here has a original release price of £7.99, with the £2.99 having moved to the Hit Squad re-release.
Similarly, ACE 2 at WoS has a budget price of £2.99 which has moved on to the Gamebusters re-release in ZXDB.
Those are budget prices associated to these specific publishers in SPOT/SPEX. Although WoS used SPOT/SPEX internally, it presented a simplified view of prices on screen, without identifying the publishers for each case.
ZXDB imported all data directly from the internal files of WoS and SPOT/SPEX, so it contains more detailed information than we can see at WoS pages. The drawback is, in ZXDB you can also see any incorrect information that couldn't be seen in the simplified view presented by WoS pages. Hopefully exposing all information will allow us to find out these issues and fix them, so we will end up with an even better, more accurate archive in the end.
BTW let me take this opportunity to thank everyone, one more time, for all their contributions! Please notice that our delays in processing all corrections doesn't mean lack of interest, it's just lack of time. But we fully intend to process everything sooner or later!
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Re: New Database Model ZXDB
They are not really gone. If you download any version of ZXDB and look at table "spex_entries", you will find all these prices there.StooB wrote: ↑Fri Jan 18, 2019 12:33 pmAlso, some prices seems to have been lost in the WoS/ZXDB conversion:
One of Corn Cropper's prices has gone.
The Damned Forest's budget price is missing.
Both prices for Airline have vanished completely!
This table contains the remaining information from SPOT/SPEX that I was not able to "merge" into the main ZXDB tables yet. To be honest I got overloaded with other aspects of ZXDB so I forgot about that!
I will get back to this ASAP. Thanks for reminding me about it!
Re: New Database Model ZXDB
All good!Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Wed Jan 23, 2019 4:25 amDo they look correct now?StooB wrote: ↑Tue Jan 22, 2019 10:15 amUnfortunately, it's not just titles that were only released on compilations...
The Eye of the Moon was released by Beyond.
Mire Mare was released by Ultimate!
even Bandersnatch!
Wouldn't it be better to change the Elite release from "Original Release" to "Never Released" and keep the intended price information?Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Wed Jan 23, 2019 4:25 amThis price came from SPOT/SPEX.StooB wrote: ↑Tue Jan 22, 2019 10:15 ameg: Duet was only released on the Hit Pak compilation, but apparently it was released in 1987 at £7.95
(where this price comes from is a mystery as it's not on the original WoS entry or the price of the compilation either)
And SPOT/SPEX took this price from Your Sinclair #13. Look at the bottom of this page:
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/mag.php ... 34&page=10
It seems the game was announced as a standalone release for £7.95 but never released this way. Therefore this price should be removed. Right?
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Re: New Database Model ZXDB
A new ZXDB update is available!
EDIT: Internal definition of table "relatedlinks" was changed. I'm sure this won't affect SC but it may affect other sites like ZX Info.
EDIT: Internal definition of table "relatedlinks" was changed. I'm sure this won't affect SC but it may affect other sites like ZX Info.
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Re: New Database Model ZXDB
ZXDB adopts the convention (inherited from Martijn's WoS) that only actual releases are stored, for released games. Only if a game was never released, then it stores the publisher that was behind it, although it's not really a "publisher" since it wasn't really "published".StooB wrote: ↑Wed Jan 23, 2019 9:30 amAll good!
Wouldn't it be better to change the Elite release from "Original Release" to "Never Released" and keep the intended price information?Einar Saukas wrote: ↑Wed Jan 23, 2019 4:25 am This price came from SPOT/SPEX.
And SPOT/SPEX took this price from Your Sinclair #13. Look at the bottom of this page:
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/mag.php ... 34&page=10
It seems the game was announced as a standalone release for £7.95 but never released this way. Therefore this price should be removed. Right?
Mixing information about real and imaginary releases for the same game would be confusing IMHO.
If a certain game was intended to be published in a different way, this information can be mentioned as comment if it's considered worthwhile. For instance here.
In the case of Duet, sorry but I don't think the intended release price is an information interesting enough to even deserve a comment.