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# Wherefore art thou, database properties?
- URL: https://nolongerset.com/wherefore-art-thou-database-properties/
- Published: 2020-09-13T01:24:23.000Z
- Updated: 2026-05-08T13:01:38.000Z
- Description: In my previous post, I talked about adding custom properties to the database object. I covered how to do it, but did not go into any detail about why you might want to do it. Let's remedy that now.
- Author: Mike Wolfe
- Tags: Hidden Features, Version Control, #Import 2026-05-20 02:59

In my [previous post](https://nolongerset.com/database-properties-for-thee/), I talked about adding custom properties to the database object. I covered *how* to do it, but did not go into any detail about *why* you might want to do it. Let's remedy that now.

To be clear, I create very few custom database properties. I went back through my projects to look for examples. Here are my top three:

- *hg\_csv*: a comma-delimited list of local tables whose data I want to export for version control purposes (*hg.exe* is the Mercurial executable)
- *LocID*: current location of the linked tables (dev vs. production; also used for programs installed for multiple clients)
- *PgmName*: the friendly name of the program; if not set, the front-end's filename without extension is used

In reviewing these examples, I tried to come up with a more formal set of rules for why I would use a database property as opposed to something else, such as a global constant or user registry setting. 

If you answer Yes to the following questions, you have a good candidate for a database property:

1. Does the data apply globally?  
  - *If no, use a variable or constant with more limited scope.*
2. Does the data ever change?  
  - *If no, use a global constant.*
3. Do you want the data to be saved from one session to the next?  
  - *If no, use a global variable or `TempVars`.*
4. Is the data user-independent?  
  - *If no, use `SaveSetting` to save to the user registry.*

In a future post, I will talk more in-depth about some of the examples from my own work, including *[hg\_csv](https://nolongerset.com/tables-to-text-do-it-for-the-dvcs/)* and *LocID*.

### Referenced articles

[Database Properties for TheeThe DAO Database object has a Properties collection. You can read through the list of properties to extract saved database options. You can also add your own properties to the object.![](https://nolongerset.com/favicon.png)No Longer SetMike Wolfe![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/eb/d7/ebd732c1-5f03-4f07-b386-5d08557e15c9/content/images/2020/09/sport-1014015_1920.jpg)](https://nolongerset.com/database-properties-for-thee/)

[Tables to Text: Do it for the DVCS!Anything that can lead to a bug in your software belongs in version control. That includes local tables with design-time data.![](https://nolongerset.com/favicon.png)No Longer SetMike Wolfe![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/eb/d7/ebd732c1-5f03-4f07-b386-5d08557e15c9/content/images/2020/09/restaurant-3597677_1920.jpg)](https://nolongerset.com/tables-to-text-do-it-for-the-dvcs/)

*Image by [Leroy Skalstad](https://pixabay.com/users/Leroy%5FSkalstad-1202818/?utm%5Fsource=link-attribution&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=image&utm%5Fcontent=845709) from [Pixabay](https://pixabay.com/?utm%5Fsource=link-attribution&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=image&utm%5Fcontent=845709)*

***UPDATE*** *\[2021-10-27\]: Added link to the future post where I discuss my hg\_csv example. Added the "Referenced articles" section.*