From Reference Manager to Zotereo - does Zotero fit for our Workgroup?

gilgil
Hi

First of all - we used the Reference Manager in their Network Version (Database and PDFs are on a network-share) since 1998. Now we have a large database with about 18.000+ records and more than 16.000 PDFs linked to the Reference Manager DB.
Unfortunately the RM in it´s newest Version 12.03 has a horrible performance (much slower than the Version 11!!!) and so we are looking for an alternative product.

My Questions are:

* Is Zotero fast enough to handle 18.000+ (we get approx 800-1200 new entry's every year) entry's easy and fast?

* Can we easy use it as a network version were 1 or more users can update the Database while others use it (most of the time only 1 inputs while other work with it)? Or would the Sync took too long with lets say 20.000 to 30.000 entrys?

* How large would the sqlite-file be with 30.000 entries?

* Is there a good, logic way to provide the database and the linked pdf´s on the network (Fileserver or Webserver) the same time while they are offline available on lets say Travel-Notebooks? Now we have about 18Gigs of PDF´s. (We are not willing to give our Database out of our house - that means no online-sharing on servers which are not ours!)
** How log does it take to sync more than 20.000 files (pdf´s) when usually only a hand full will change from one Sync to the next?

I hope I get some help and ideas from you - no I have much to do by transporting our Database into Zotero...

thxs...
  • aurimas
    edited June 6, 2013
    Is there a good, logic way to provide the database and the linked pdf´s on the network (Fileserver or Webserver) the same time while they are offline available on lets say Travel-Notebooks? Now we have about 18Gigs of PDF´s. (We are not willing to give our Database out of our house - that means no online-sharing on servers which are not ours!)
    If you want to share file attachments with a group, but don't want to use Zotero's servers your options are pretty limited.

    In theory, you can host your own Zotero data server, but that's fairly experimental and with limited support from the devs. I can't find a link right now to a recent discussion we had about this.

    Your other option is to use a single Zotero account between all users and host the file attachments on a locally-hosted WebDAV server. The only down side (at least that I can think of right now) to this is that you will be granting all of your users full rights to the library.
  • gilgil
    I did not now that their´s a Server-version too... will search for it...

    "The only down side (at least that I can think of right now) to this is that you will be granting all of your users full rights to the library. "

    Isn´t there an option to open an Webdav - DB readonly?
  • aurimas
    This might not be up to date. http://www.zotero.org/support/dev/dataserver_setup
  • adamsmith
    (this is a more up to date version and documentation on setting up your own server: https://github.com/Panzerkampfwagen/dataserver - but to be quite clear, there is no support at all by Zotero devs for server installations).
    Isn´t there an option to open an Webdav - DB readonly?
    not with Zotero, no.


    As for your other questions -
    yes, Zotero can handle databases of up to ~50k pretty well and performance has been improving steadily

    An sqlite with 30k items would be in the range of 1GB

    Syncing 20k pdfs - I can't tell you how long the initial sync will take, but later syncs will only sync changes, so they should be almost instantaneous.
  • gilgil
    Thxs adamsmith;

    i took a look at the Version of Panzerkampfwagen and maybe i will try this Version... the only problem i see is, that obviously you need a special patched version of the client too... that could be a no-go because of the speed of FF-updates... :(
    Isn´t there a routinely updated Version of the client with the ability to define the zotero - server by yourself?
  • adamsmith
    Isn´t there a routinely updated Version of the client with the ability to define the zotero - server by yourself?
    no, sorry.
  • gilgil
    Is it complicated to patch the file by myself? Would it be enough to redirect the url of the zotero Databaseserver to my own server vie the hosts file?

    something different - how do you make quotations in this forum software? And how to send PN?
  • adamsmith
    currently it looks like the people at that repo are updating the patched plugin with some regularity - you can look at what they do to update the patching, I don't think it's terribly hard, no.

    citations are done with <blockquote> </blockquote> in html mode, code snippets with <code> </code>

    PMs can be sent via user profiles like http://www.zotero.org/gilgil for you or http://www.zotero.org/adamsmith for me. Don't ask me why those aren't the same profiles you get when clicking on a user name on the forum. Generally I'd use PMs very sparsely - anything related to support should run through the forum.
  • gilgil
    thxs...
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