Possible Causes

• A chart with a name longer than 30 characters
• A computer clock that is not synced to Internet time, or is not accurate. (Even a few minutes can make a difference.)
• A corrupt database due to improper closure of the software.
• Computer freeze/crash while the software is running.
• A corrupt chart.
• A large amount of Tick data that is not set to automatically delete after a set duration of retention. (See this article to adjust retention settings: click here.)
• Internet problems during a data download, leading to corrupt data in the database

Symptoms of Database Problems or Crashing:

• Message Window and Message Log contains text stating "Database Errors" or "Errors in Database were detected."
• To open the Message Log, select: File | Open | Message Log
• MarketDelta will not start.
• Fatal Error message(s) appear.
• Data will not download.  There could be a continuous ringing on your computer.  The Message Log will contain multiple lines of text stating "Database Errors."
• Charts that do not work properly after a data download, or produce errors.

Resolution:

1. Close MarketDelta.
2. Check your Task Manager (Ctrl-Alt-Delete) and look to see if the MarketDelta application is running.  If it is still running, close it.
3. Next, select:
4. Start | Programs | MarketDelta |  Database Maintenance
5. Check the log to see if the Message Log says "Database OK" or "Errors in database."

Further Troubleshooting Steps

• If the database is OK, hold the SHIFT key down and open MarketDelta.  This will open MarketDelta without the charts or your datafeed.
• If MarketDelta opens, then you know a corrupt chart is causing the issue.  Open charts one-by-one by using the Object Editor (green crash can on main tool bar).  Once you find the corrupt chart, delete it.
• You may need to close MarketDelta and repeat the SHIFT-Open process in order to delete if the program freezes.

Remove Database Errors

It might be necessary to try a couple things to remove any database errors.

1st option: There are Database Utilities installed to automatically fix problems. First, run the Verify option, from Control > Database Utilities > Verify. This may correct some basic issues with the database. A more robust solution, if this does not work, is to Initialize the database, then Verify again. If you Initialize, all price data is erased, so you will need to download again. This is straightforward for anything with a good data vendor or backfill service, such as DTN MA, which we offer.

To Initialize, go to Control > Database Utilities > Initialize > Intraday Daily Weekly Monthly. Then after you complete this, you will need to repopulate your database, following these guidelines:

http://support.marketdelta.com/entries/114670

This process erases your price data, but keeps your charts and quotepages.

2nd option Full Database Initialization and Maintenance (non-destructive):

Database Initialization:
1.Check all databases within this category
-This includes Ticks & Bars, News, Trading Notes, Groups, Daily, Weekly, Monthly Bars, Portfolios
2. Click "Initialize Selected Database"
- A prompt to initialize each database will pop up. Proceed with clicking initialize for each database

Data Management:
1. Click "Delete Temporary Files"
2. Click Purge Historical Data"

Database Repair and Maintenace:
1. Click Full Maintenance

**After performing these steps, close MarketDelta and reopen. Database and symbol errors should now be corrected.**

3rd option: As a last resort, the entire database can be corrected by refreshing with an entirely new database. This will fix all errors with your current database, but it also erases all price data, so you will need to backfill your chart.

Before proceeding: you may wish to backup your charts and quote pages, unless you do not mind rebuilding them. You use can use the Object Editor to export charts if desired. If you need help backing up your charts, let us know before you proceed with the following.

You will also want to save your Quote Page(s). Use the Object Editor as well to export quote pages. Most importantly is the ".All Symbols" quote page, but you may also have custom quotes pages that you want to keep. If you do not export your quote pages, all you have to do is re-enter your symbols on the new quote page after the database is reset.

The following article discusses how to create a fresh database, in effect "resetting" the MarketDelta database system. This fixes all database errors, which may be causing program crashes and other problems:

http://support.marketdelta.com/entries/326361

Send us your archive

Any issues that pop up again as a result of an actual corrupt chart or other component that is creating database problems, even after a reset, can be diagnosed by looking at a database archive. Of particular benefit is to send us an archive of the entire program database (not including the actual price data). This will include all charts and other stored items that can cause the crash, and our developers can look into the file in search of the cause. When we've exhausted other efforts, this is an excellent troubleshooting method. To do this, click the Control menu, then Database Utilities, then Archive Database. A pop-up box will appear to which you must say "No" or else the resulting file will be too large to email us. Then choose the computer location to save the archive file, and then email us that file to support@marketdelta.com (or reply to an existing email on this subject).