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These MEDITECH Workshops are sponsored by Donna Carroll at the MEDITECH Community Bulletin

MEDITECH NPR & RW RESOURCES:

Ascii Table: For NPR Report Writer
Loop Builder: For NPR Macros
Key Codes: For CDS Attributes
List Builder: For NPR Macros
MT Report Names: For NPR Reports
MT Structure Viewer: For Physicals
Strings: Format & Sort

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How To Merge Flat Meditech Data Files - 101

  
 

To quickly combine multiple files, place the files you want to combine in a new folder.

Meditech Flat Files Merge

Open a command prompt: click your Start button Meditech Start Button, click Run Meditech Run Line, type cmd.  Use the CD (Change Directory) command to navigate to the folder where your files are stored.

Use the DIR command to create a file with a list of the text files in this folder: dir *.txt >Dir.txt. Close your command prompt, by clicking on the X as shown: Close Meditech.

Meditech Command Line

Using a text editor, copy the file names from Dir.txt into a new text file.

Meditech Files Directory

Save the new file as CombineFiles.bat in your directory with the other files.

Combined Meditech File List

Using copy /b combine all file names in a + delimited list onto the first line of the CombineFiles.bat file.  After your list of files, type a space and then the name for your new large file which will contain the contents of the other files.

Example 1: copy /b Data-File-0.txt+Data-File-1.txt+Data-File-2.txt+Data-File-3.txt+Data-File-4.txt+Data-File-5.txt+Data-File-6.txt+Data-File-7.txt+Data-File-8.txt+Data-File-9.txt+Data-File-10.txt+Data-File-11.txt New-Large-File.txt This will combine the files in the exact order you've expressed in your + delimited list.

Example 2: If file order doesn't matter, copy /b *.txt New-Large-File.txt will copy all files into the new file.

Meditech Batch File

Save and close CombineFiles.bat.  Run CombineFiles.bat by going back to your folder with the files and clicking on CombineFiles.bat.  Running this file is known as executing a batch file. 

Meditech Batch File Running 

When the batch file completes (this can take a while if your files are large), your command prompt will close by itself.  Go back to your folder to find your new file containing the contents of the other files, if you’ve followed the naming convention above, the file will be named: New-Large-File.txt.

Large Meditech File

There: we’ve successfully combined 10 flat data files into 1 large data file, just like that.

How To Set Your MEDITECH CS 5.6 Print Preferences

  
 

Set MEDITECH Printer       To set your default printer (just like you can in Microsoft Windows): next time you print, check out the MEDITECH 5.6 Print Preferences button to the right of your screen. 

      Since my work usually involves loading vendor databases, data marts and warehouses, my default should be Download.  Maybe your default will be the printer at your desk.

 

   Meditech Printer Preference Set

MEDITECH Data Extraction: Troubleshooting Slow Running Extracts

  
 
If the extract runs at the same speed all of the time, use binary troubleshooting to divide & conquer the performance issues inherent in the code.  Assuming the extract can be run faster when restarted, rule out MEDITECH Troubleshootingslowness, 1 aspect at a time:
  • Can the extract be scheduled to start at another time and run quicker? Example: 2:00 a.m. instead of 12:00 a.m.  If so ... start time could be the cause.
  • Reboot the machine where the extract is running.  If ... extract run time does not improve, the state of the server was not the issue.
  • Run the extract from another machine.  If run time improves, look at re-installing MEDITECH client on the original machine. If performance does not improve, then try re-imaging the client machine.

How To Visualize Binary Troubleshooting

  
 

When I use a systematic method, to locate the cause of my problem, I usually don't get very far in the troubleshooting process.  Often I'll get to somewhere around steps 6 - 9 and spot the trouble. 

Divide & Conquer Troubleshooting

That's because

Binary Troubleshooting or Divide & Conquer Troubleshooting

  
 

Divide Binary Troubleshooting is a method used to solve problems.

To start: imagine your problem as a system. Divide the system into 2 equal areas & implement tests to prove the problem is not in 1 of the 2 areas.

Continue: divide the remaining piece of the system where the problem is now proven to exist, into 2 more pieces.  Implement tests to isolate the cause of the problem to just 1 of the remaining pieces. Rinse & repeat.

Stop: when you find the cause of the problem. If your problem were to consist of over 1 million possibilities, it would only take you 20 steps: to find the root cause of the problem.

This divide & conquer process comes in handy, especially when working on projects in unfamiliar terrain. 


MEDITECH Index Used by Default

  
 

The previous article did not include an actual link to the MEDITECH White Paper. 

Thank you HP for noticing!


meditech-whitepaper-on-npr-index-behavio

MEDITECH NPR Default Index Behavior

  
 

99.999% of the time, Meditech NPR uses indexes to provide efficient access to data just as you'd expect. 

I am aware of 1 situation where the MEDITECH NPR Report Writer will use an index by default, even when you haven't specified an index. When this index doesn't contain all information from this mission critical data structure it represents, you won't be able to report on everything in that data segment.

Read our white paper, you'll see first hand what this looks like when it happens; how to validate other reports, and how to prevent it.

meditech-whitepaper-on-npr-index-behavio

Skill: Build a Meditech List of Numerics

  
 

Programmatically build a list in MEDITECH memory of numeric characters 0 through 9. 

Numeric List Build

To build this list, implement & call the following sub-routine from a MEDITECH NPR macro.

BUILD.NUMERIC.LIST
0-1^I,
DO{I<9 @Add(1,I),1^/NUMERIC.LIST[I]}

APPLIES to: MEDITECH MAGIC, MEDITECH Client Server




Trello is Task Management on Steroids!

  
 

Trello is a collaboration tool that organizes your projects into boards. In one glance, Trello tells you what's being worked on, who's working on what, and where something is in a process.  Trello.com is live, open, free, available to the entire public. - Trello Web Site

Is it secure?  Yes, read all about it here: http://trello.com/privacy.

Trello Task Management

 

UPDATE: Meditech Document Manager Service

  
 

MEDITECH Document Manager

UPDATE:

further Restarting the Meditech Document Manager on 12/12/2011 shows restarting the service DELETES the existing file. If you have to restart the service, you'll need to close & restart your extracts.

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