Help with updating a database while in cfloop

Question

Greetings. I'm having some difficulties in updating a
database using cfquery inside of a cfloop.
Background:
I've got a text file that I need to interpret, line for line,
and then update an existing database with information from that
text file. For example, the text file might say
jdoe~103 Anywhere St.~East Nowhere~New Jersey~05784~
asmith~8963 North St.~Crabapple Cove~Maine~01390~
(etc...you get the idea)
So, I use a CFFILE to read the file, and then calculate the
number of lines (records to be updated in the database) using
listlen / 5 (in this example). From there, I:
<cfloop index="record" from="1" to "#numberoflines#">
<cfloop index="field" from="1" to "5">
<cfset position = ((record - 1) * 5) + field>
<cfelseif field EQ 1>
<cfset form.username =
ListGetAt(newcontents,position,"~")>
<cfelseif field EQ 2>
<cfset form.street =
ListGetAt(newcontents,position,"~")>
(etc...through EQ 5)
</cfloop>
<cfquery name="updatedatabase"
datasource="clientlist">
UPDATE clients
SET
Street= '#form.street#',
(etc)
WHERE email = '#form.username#'
</cfquery>
</cfloop>
The problem I am having is that it updates the very first
record in the set of records to update, but then it does not update
any subsequent records.
Why?
Sorry if the code is crude. Is there a better way of doing
this? If so, great detail would be helpful :) Relatively new at
this.
-Brian

Answer 1

quote:
Originally posted by:
Dan Bracuk
Updating a db from a file using cold fusion is generally
inefficient and should only be used as a last resort. If your db
has any bulk loading/updating utilities, consider using them. Maybe
you can use cold fusion to upload the file and ftp it to your db
server or something like that.
Better yet, that file has to come from somewhere. Is there a
way you can update your db instead of generating a file in the
first place?
The file starts as an output generated by a web user (an
administrator on the software) which creates a text file containing
email addresses, one per line. An external process which I have no
control over takes that file and generates another file containing
information about each of those e-mail addresses (last name, first
name, etc) one per line. I can't change that process. So, I'm left
with an external text file that I need to parse and then put into
the database...all through a web interface. The goal here is that
an administrator of the software, who does not have direct access
to the database, can (using cold fusion processing) update the
database with new information on each e-mail address without my
intervention.
-Brian