Reference Section > Process Data > Optimise Process Data

"Optimise Process Data" is an administrative tool on the Costing Database window that shrinks a bloated process-costing database. Over time databases accumulate process data that has been copied across material grades instead of using inheritance, and process data for cutting systems that are no longer fitted to any machine. The optimiser cleans both up in a guided two-stage wizard.

BACK UP THE DATABASE FIRST. Optimisation deletes process-costing data. The wizard requires you to confirm a backup exists before it will continue, and nothing is written until you save the Costing Database window.

Opening the wizard

Open the Costing Database window and click Optimise Process Data on the cutting toolbar. The button's tooltip shows the current number of process-data records. The wizard runs in two stages, presented in order.

Stage 1 – Eliminate Unneeded Data

Removes process data for systems (cost IDs) that are no longer referenced by any tool on any active machine in the post-processor. The system definitions themselves are kept – only their process data is removed – in case tools are added for them again later.

•Unreferenced systems are listed alphabetically with the number of process rows each holds.

•Tick the systems whose process data you want to remove. Click one, then Shift+click another to tick (or untick) the whole range at once.

Running this stage first makes Stage 2 more reliable, because removing data for unused systems leaves fewer rows to compare.

Stage 2 – Reduce Copied Data

Collapses process data that has been copied across grades into the material inheritance mechanism (the grade's Inherits From setting). A grade is set to inherit from a chosen master, and its rows that exactly match the master are deleted – the master then supplies those values. Rows that differ are kept as overrides.

There are two grouping modes:

•Automatic – materials are grouped by their Touchcut Name (e.g. all "MS" grades together). For each group you choose the master from a drop-down. The list is ordered with the most complete grade (most process rows) at the top, since that is usually the master, and it defaults to "(do not optimise this group)" so selecting a master is always a deliberate choice. Hover a group to see its member materials.

•Manual – tick the materials to optimise and choose the master they should inherit from.

Only a material that does not itself inherit can be chosen as a master, and a master is never pruned. A material that already inherits has its redundant (duplicate) rows pruned against the master it already inherits from.

Inheritance only applies to thicknesses the grade actually has. If GR350 has data for 20 mm but the inheriting grade has no 20 mm thickness, the grade returns no data for 20 mm – thicknesses themselves are not inherited.

Report and applying changes

The final page previews exactly what will be removed, headed by the tblProcessCosting row count before and after. Nothing is changed until you click Finish, and even then the deletions are only committed when you save the Costing Database window. Use Back to adjust the selection, or close the window without saving to discard everything.

Permissions and locking

Optimisation is a costing edit, so it requires costing edit permission and the costing-section lock. If another user is editing costing data the Costing Database window is read-only and the Optimise Process Data button is disabled.

Workflow

1.CRITICAL Back up the process-costing database!

2.Open the Costing Database window and click Optimise Process Data; confirm the backup.

3.Stage 1: tick the unused systems to purge (Shift+click for a range).

4.Stage 2: choose a master per touchcut group (or use Manual mode). Groups left at "(do not optimise this group)" are untouched.

5.Review the report – check the before/after counts and that the masters you expect to keep are not listed for pruning.

6.Click Finish, then save the Costing Database window to commit.

You may proceed iteratively, running the wizard multiple times , especially when using the manual grouping option.