Unfortunately, there were data issues with the conversion which led to very ambiguous error messages. Our first challenge was to scramble to find a copy of a 17 year old Timeslips version so a better diagnoses and repair could be made. To give a car analogy – finding an intact Timeslips 10.5 is like finding an intact model T-Ford. Parts are hard to come by, and repairs will be more expensive.
Did anyone have a copy, what about install codes? Do we actually remember HOW to fix this type of error, and were the specific corrupt records critical? Documentation for data repair on older databases is not always easy to find.
Ultimately there was a happy ending to this story – the database was repaired, though the repair/conversion process took over 12 hours to complete.
The reality, however, was that it could easily have gone a different way. If we hadn’t had the resources (and a bit of luck), this would have resulted in an even more time consuming and costly project for the client. As it was, the cost included an extra 12 hours of consulting, plus extra down time for the firm without access to their billing.
Our policy is to support our clients, whether they are using “supported” versions of software or not, and we continue to do so. At the same time, it’s also important that firms understand the risk they are taking if they let years go by without periodically investing in keeping up with technology. Given that this is mission critical software, something to consider!