[Olpc-sf] Database corruption issues evidence?

[Kristian Erik Hermansen]

http://wiki.laptop.org/go/How_laptop_delivery_breaks#Internal_Patriot.2FBrightstar_database_errors_may_cause_updates_to_be_lost

"""
Internal Patriot/Brightstar database errors may cause updates to be lost

Customer service (PatriotLLC) and/or the shipper's (Brighstar's)
databases are known to have internal integrity issues, such that order
changes - such as corrected shipping addresses - may be overwritten
and therefore lost by subsequent updates or syncronization activities.
(The database is reportedly Microsoft SQL Server, but would be
controlled and populated with custom programming by Patriot and
Brightstar).

Many donors affected by issues the two issues above have called or
emailed customer service at Patriot numerous times to provide
corrected information (such as the lines that were dropped from their
shipping address - see above), but the original data would later
mysteriously reappear in the database, with the later changes lost.
Patriot representatives have insisted they are following correct
procedures to update customer information; if this is true, then it
may be the fault of the custom programming or the way the database is
managed. For example, an operational or programming procedure that
would cause partial or complete overwriting of records in one database
(e.g., Patriot's) with older or simply different information from the
other database (e.g., Brightstar's) would explain these observations
and continuing issues.

Donors affected by this issue may have no recourse but to keep
contacting Patriot by phone (reportedly more effective than email,
which may or may not be acknowledged or processed by them) in the hope
that one of the changes will eventually "take" and the order will be
sent to shipping.
"""
-- 
Kristian Erik Hermansen
"Know something about everything and everything about something."