Re^3: The Eternal "filter.pl"

If your desktop box isn't a wimpy laptop or dumb terminal, you should be able to run a temporary database locally, without giving it any access from the network or using external resources. Worst case, would you be allowed to use something like DBM::Deep with a flat file?

Collect your set of scripts for importing the various types of datafile you commonly see, and run those on demand during the meeting. Once the meeting is over, drop the whole database.

So when the meeting happens, you fire up the database, doubleclick your "import_feedfile.pl", and then run the first query. Question 2, you change the query. Question 3, you doubleclick "import_downstream_feedfile.pl", and then run your new query. Rinse and repeat.

IE: Don't have scripts for one-off filtering, only keep scripts for importing the various files you'll see more than once, and do your actual queries with SQL.

Comment on Re^3: The Eternal "filter.pl"

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Re^4: The Eternal "filter.pl" by Voronich (Hermit) on Aug 25, 2011 at 18:02 UTC
Our desktops are actually little more than X connections with MS Office running. Attempting to install anything that trips microsoft's "installation" system is locked out, as are writes to most of the local disc and any external devices. I like the idea of using something like DBM::Deep. But have never used any of those, so it's new stuff. If I can inject custom parse routines into them (the data formats are never quite so simple as plain csv, and certainly not fixed-record files) then it's definitely a candidate. Me	[reply]
Re^5: The Eternal "filter.pl" (OT) by Your Mother (Archbishop) on Aug 25, 2011 at 18:14 UTC
I write this as your friend, and Your Mother, start circulating your résumé. There is nothing wrong with shopping around and the mere fact of having options can make a sub-optimal situation easier to handle.	[reply]
Re^6: The Eternal "filter.pl" (OT) by Voronich (Hermit) on Aug 25, 2011 at 18:18 UTC
"(OT)" my arse. I've been slow in getting it updated. But that's even more right than "put it in a database" Me	[reply]
Re^5: The Eternal "filter.pl" by CountZero (Bishop) on Aug 25, 2011 at 21:38 UTC
Is running anything off a thumb-drive locked out too? If not, some "Portable apps" are real life savers, such as a full fledged XAMPP stack. You load your thumb drive on your home machine and sneak it in using this tiny USD drive. CountZero A program should be light and agile, its subroutines connected like a string of pearls. The spirit and intent of the program should be retained throughout. There should be neither too little or too much, neither needless loops nor useless variables, neither lack of structure nor overwhelming rigidity." - The Tao of Programming, 4.1 - Geoffrey James	[reply]