Best Practices When Editing Databases in ORCA

The Orca database editor is a table-editing tool available in the Windows Installer SDK and it can be used to edit your .msi files. The Orca editor edits and creates merge module (.msm) files , Internal Consistency Evaluator (.cub) files, and patch creation files (.pcp).

When editing a database in ORCA, there are several considerations to keep in mind.

Database Size

Much like a file system, an MSI database is subject to fragmentation. As a database is repeatedly edited, the size of the database file increases. To eliminate the fragmentation and generate a smaller MSI file, use the Save As... command to generate a new MSI file.

Embedded Streams and Storages

When a database is saved using the Save As... or Save Transformed As... command, embedded binary streams (such as embedded cabinet files) are not saved to the new database unless they are part of a data row. Embedded sub-storages (nested install files) are never saved to the new database.

Language and Codepage Issues

ORCA is capable of editing databases in a variety of languages, however the system must support the codepage required. Therefore, using ORCA with the Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows Me systems may limit the functionality of ORCA when editing some databases that contain localized strings.

When displaying table data, ORCA does not detect when the selected font does not support characters encoded in the database. Selecting a font that does not support the language or character set of a database may result in ORCA displaying the data incorrectly.

When editing a database or importing data files, ORCA does not detect strings that are incompatible with the current codepage of the database. Entering or importing strings that cannot be represented in the codepage of the current database may result in incorrect package behavior.