How to access the full database without using Photo Supreme?

[mccross]

One of the selling points of Photo Supreme is that it is open architecture, e.g. from the web site: "The IDimager database is an open architecture that can be exported to a file that can then be imported into another DAM.... After all, it is YOUR data, not the application’s data." or form the Forum "From the ground up, Photo Supreme was designed with an open architecture. This means that all your data is also accessible without our software." But the only export function I can find is "Export Metadata to CSV File" which is hardly the same as exporting the database structure. How could I access the full database without using Photo Supreme?

[update Hert; changed the title to better match the content]

[Hert]

Exporting to CSV is one important aspect of "openness" because it allows you to extract information in a standardized form that is readable by almost every software. On top of that you can use CSV files to selectively extract information.

But the most important aspect is that you can access the database directly. The database used is a SQLite database and any tool that can read SQLite databases (even through additional drivers like ODBC) will allow you to open and read the database content. For personal use, I can highly recommend the tool SQLite Expert (Windows Only).
Please note that I *highly* vote against direct manipulation of the database when you still actively use our software. Querying the tables is harmless for the software.

And as Mike already outlines, ICS is another aspect of our open approach. That allows you to create a backup of the catalog data for an image in the metadata of your file. It is stored in XMP format and every XMP supporting tool should be able to read it.

[vlad]

One more tip: you can export the entire label hierarchy to a text file using Data -> Export to Formatted Vocabulary File.

(Add the scripting capabilities to all the above and I can hardly imagine how the architecture could be much more open. Thinking about it, this might be my number 1 reason of recommending PSU: it is trustworthy and future-proof, due to openness, extensibility and standard compliance.)

[Mke]

For personal use, I can highly recommend the tool SQLite Expert (Windows Only).

The free SQLite Manager extension for Firefox - see https://code.google.com/p/sqlite-manager/ or https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefo ... e-manager/ - may also be of interest. But tread carefully.

[mccross]

Thanks. I would definitely only try to manipulate the database using a different program in the (distant, I hope) future if I no longer can use Photo Supreme, but it's comforting to know that it should be possible. Does anyone have recommendations for an OSX replacement for SQlite Expert?

[Hert]

On OSX I use "Navicat Essentials for SQLite" (see MacAppStore). It's not as flexible as SQLite Expert, but will do the job. And of course, the Firefox plugin will also work on OSX