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NAME

       mnesia - A distributed telecommunications DBMS

DESCRIPTION

       The  following  are  some  of  the  most important and attractive capabilities provided by
       Mnesia:

         * A  relational/object  hybrid  data  model  that  is  suitable  for  telecommunications
           applications.

         * A DBMS query language, Query List Comprehension (QLC) as an add-on library.

         * Persistence. Tables can be coherently kept on disc and in the main memory.

         * Replication. Tables can be replicated at several nodes.

         * Atomic  transactions.  A series of table manipulation operations can be grouped into a
           single atomic transaction.

         * Location transparency. Programs can be written without knowledge of  the  actual  data
           location.

         * Extremely fast real-time data searches.

         * Schema manipulation routines. The DBMS can be reconfigured at runtime without stopping
           the system.

       This Reference Manual describes the Mnesia API. This includes functions  that  define  and
       manipulate Mnesia tables.

       All  functions  in this Reference Manual can be used in any combination with queries using
       the list comprehension notation. For information about the query  notation,  see  the  qlc
       manual page in STDLIB.

       Data  in  Mnesia  is  organized  as a set of tables. Each table has a name that must be an
       atom. Each table is made up of Erlang records. The user  is  responsible  for  the  record
       definitions.  Each  table  also  has  a  set  of properties. The following are some of the
       properties that are associated with each table:

         * type. Each table can have set, ordered_set, or bag semantics.  Notice  that  currently
           ordered_set is not supported for disc_only_copies.

           If a table is of type set, each key leads to either one or zero records.

           If  a  new item is inserted with the same key as an existing record, the old record is
           overwritten. However, if a table is of type bag, each key can map to several  records.
           All records in type bag tables are unique, only the keys can be duplicated.

         * record_name.  All  records stored in a table must have the same name. The records must
           be instances of the same record type.

         * ram_copies. A table can be replicated on a number of Erlang nodes. Property ram_copies
           specifies a list of Erlang nodes where RAM copies are kept. These copies can be dumped
           to disc at regular intervals. However, updates to these copies are not written to disc
           on a transaction basis.

         * disc_copies. This property specifies a list of Erlang nodes where the table is kept in
           RAM and on disc. All updates of the table are performed in the actual  table  and  are
           also  logged  to disc. If a table is of type disc_copies at a certain node, the entire
           table is resident in RAM memory and on disc. Each transaction performed on  the  table
           is appended to a LOG file and written into the RAM table.

         * disc_only_copies.  Some,  or  all,  table  replicas  can  be  kept on disc only. These
           replicas are considerably slower than the RAM-based replicas.

         * index. This is a list of  attribute  names,  or  integers,  which  specify  the  tuple
           positions on which Mnesia is to build and maintain an extra index table.

         * local_content.  When  an  application requires tables whose contents are local to each
           node, local_content tables can be used. The table name is known to all  Mnesia  nodes,
           but its content is unique on each node. This means that access to such a table must be
           done locally. Set field local_content to true to enable  the  local_content  behavior.
           Default is false.

         * majority.  This attribute is true or false; default is false. When true, a majority of
           the table replicas must be available for an update to succeed. Majority  checking  can
           be  enabled  on  tables  with  mission-critical  data,  where  it  is  vital  to avoid
           inconsistencies because of network splits.

         * snmp. Each (set-based) Mnesia table can be automatically turned into a Simple  Network
           Management Protocol (SNMP) ordered table as well. This property specifies the types of
           the SNMP keys.

         * attributes. The names of the attributes for the  records  that  are  inserted  in  the
           table.

       For  information  about  the  complete  set  of  table  properties  and their details, see
       mnesia:create_table/2.

       This Reference Manual uses  a  table  of  persons  to  illustrate  various  examples.  The
       following record definition is assumed:

       -record(person, {name,
                        age = 0,
                        address = unknown,
                        salary = 0,
                        children = []}),

       The first record attribute is the primary key, or key for short.

       The  function descriptions are sorted in alphabetical order. It is recommended to start to
       read about mnesia:create_table/2, mnesia:lock/2, and mnesia:activity/4 before you continue
       and learn about the rest.

       Writing  or  deleting  in transaction-context creates a local copy of each modified record
       during the transaction.  During  iteration,  that  is,  mnesia:fold[lr]/4,  mnesia:next/2,
       mnesia:prev/2,  and  mnesia:snmp_get_next_index/2, Mnesia compensates for every written or
       deleted record, which can reduce the performance.

       If possible, avoid writing or deleting records in the same  transaction  before  iterating
       over the table.

EXPORTS

       abort(Reason) -> transaction abort

              Makes the transaction silently return the tuple {aborted, Reason}. Termination of a
              Mnesia transaction means that an exception is thrown to an enclosing  catch.  Thus,
              the expression catch mnesia:abort(x) does not terminate the transaction.

       activate_checkpoint(Args) -> {ok,Name,Nodes} | {error,Reason}

              A checkpoint is a consistent view of the system. A checkpoint can be activated on a
              set of tables. This checkpoint can then be traversed and presents  a  view  of  the
              system  as  it  existed  at the time when the checkpoint was activated, even if the
              tables are being or have been manipulated.

              Args is a list of the following tuples:

                * {name,Name}. Name is the checkpoint name. Each checkpoint must have a name that
                  is  unique  to  the  associated  nodes.  The  name  can be reused only once the
                  checkpoint has been deactivated. By default, a name that is probably unique  is
                  generated.

                * {max,MaxTabs}.  MaxTabs  is  a  list  of  tables that are to be included in the
                  checkpoint. Default is []. For these tables, the redundancy  is  maximized  and
                  checkpoint  information  is retained together with all replicas. The checkpoint
                  becomes more fault tolerant if the tables have several  replicas.  When  a  new
                  replica is added by the schema manipulation function mnesia:add_table_copy/3, a
                  retainer is also attached automatically.

                * {min,MinTabs}. MinTabs is a list of tables that  are  to  be  included  in  the
                  checkpoint.  Default  is  []. For these tables, the redundancy is minimized and
                  the checkpoint information is only retained with one replica, preferably on the
                  local node.

                * {allow_remote,Bool}.  false  means  that  all  retainers  must  be  local.  The
                  checkpoint cannot be activated if a table does not reside locally. true  allows
                  retainers to be allocated on any node. Default is true.

                * {ram_overrides_dump,Bool}.  Only  applicable for ram_copies. Bool allows you to
                  choose to back up the table state as it is in RAM, or as it is  on  disc.  true
                  means  that  the  latest  committed  records  in  RAM are to be included in the
                  checkpoint. These are the records that the application  accesses.  false  means
                  that  the  records  dumped  to  DAT files are to be included in the checkpoint.
                  These records are loaded at startup. Default is false.

              Returns  {ok,Name,Nodes}  or  {error,Reason}.  Name  is  the  (possibly  generated)
              checkpoint  name.  Nodes  are  the  nodes that are involved in the checkpoint. Only
              nodes that keep a checkpoint retainer know about the checkpoint.

       activity(AccessContext, Fun [, Args]) -> ResultOfFun | exit(Reason)

              Calls mnesia:activity(AccessContext, Fun, Args, AccessMod), where AccessMod is  the
              default  access callback module obtained by mnesia:system_info(access_module). Args
              defaults to [] (empty list).

       activity(AccessContext, Fun, Args, AccessMod) -> ResultOfFun | exit(Reason)

              Executes the functional object Fun with argument Args.

              The code that executes inside the  activity  can  consist  of  a  series  of  table
              manipulation  functions,  which  are  performed in an AccessContext. Currently, the
              following access contexts are supported:

                transaction:
                  Short for {transaction, infinity}

                {transaction, Retries}:
                  Calls mnesia:transaction(Fun, Args, Retries). Notice that the result  from  Fun
                  is  returned  if the transaction is successful (atomic), otherwise the function
                  exits with an abort reason.

                sync_transaction:
                  Short for {sync_transaction, infinity}

                {sync_transaction, Retries}:
                  Calls mnesia:sync_transaction(Fun, Args, Retries). Notice that the result  from
                  Fun  is  returned  if  the  transaction  is  successful (atomic), otherwise the
                  function exits with an abort reason.

                async_dirty:
                  Calls mnesia:async_dirty(Fun, Args).

                sync_dirty:
                  Calls mnesia:sync_dirty(Fun, Args).

                ets:
                  Calls mnesia:ets(Fun, Args).

              This function (mnesia:activity/4) differs in an important way  from  the  functions
              mnesia:transaction, mnesia:sync_transaction, mnesia:async_dirty, mnesia:sync_dirty,
              and mnesia:ets. Argument  AccessMod  is  the  name  of  a  callback  module,  which
              implements the mnesia_access behavior.

              Mnesia forwards calls to the following functions:

                * mnesia:lock/2 (read_lock_table/1, write_lock_table/1)

                * mnesia:write/3 (write/1, s_write/1)

                * mnesia:delete/3 (delete/1, s_delete/1)

                * mnesia:delete_object/3 (delete_object/1, s_delete_object/1)

                * mnesia:read/3 (read/1, wread/1)

                * mnesia:match_object/3 (match_object/1)

                * mnesia:all_keys/1

                * mnesia:first/1

                * mnesia:last/1

                * mnesia:prev/2

                * mnesia:next/2

                * mnesia:index_match_object/4 (index_match_object/2)

                * mnesia:index_read/3

                * mnesia:table_info/2

              to the corresponding:

                * AccessMod:lock(ActivityId, Opaque, LockItem, LockKind)

                * AccessMod:write(ActivityId, Opaque, Tab, Rec, LockKind)

                * AccessMod:delete(ActivityId, Opaque, Tab, Key, LockKind)

                * AccessMod:delete_object(ActivityId, Opaque, Tab, RecXS, LockKind)

                * AccessMod:read(ActivityId, Opaque, Tab, Key, LockKind)

                * AccessMod:match_object(ActivityId, Opaque, Tab, Pattern, LockKind)

                * AccessMod:all_keys(ActivityId, Opaque, Tab, LockKind)

                * AccessMod:first(ActivityId, Opaque, Tab)

                * AccessMod:last(ActivityId, Opaque, Tab)

                * AccessMod:prev(ActivityId, Opaque, Tab, Key)

                * AccessMod:next(ActivityId, Opaque, Tab, Key)

                * AccessMod:index_match_object(ActivityId, Opaque, Tab, Pattern, Attr, LockKind)

                * AccessMod:index_read(ActivityId, Opaque, Tab, SecondaryKey, Attr, LockKind)

                * AccessMod:table_info(ActivityId, Opaque, Tab, InfoItem)

              ActivityId  is  a  record  that  represents  the  identity  of the enclosing Mnesia
              activity. The first field (obtained with element(1, ActivityId)) contains an  atom,
              which  can  be  interpreted  as the activity type: ets, async_dirty, sync_dirty, or
              tid. tid means that the activity is a transaction. The structure of the rest of the
              identity record is internal to Mnesia.

              Opaque is an opaque data structure that is internal to Mnesia.

       add_table_copy(Tab, Node, Type) -> {aborted, R} | {atomic, ok}

              Makes another copy of a table at the node Node. Argument Type must be either of the
              atoms ram_copies, disc_copies, or disc_only_copies. For example, the following call
              ensures that a disc replica of the person table also exists at node Node:

              mnesia:add_table_copy(person, Node, disc_copies)

              This function can also be used to add a replica of the table named schema.

       add_table_index(Tab, AttrName) -> {aborted, R} | {atomic, ok}

              Table  indexes  can  be  used  whenever the user wants to use frequently some other
              field than the key field to look up records. If this other field has an  associated
              index,  these  lookups  can  occur in constant time and space. For example, if your
              application wishes to use field age to find efficiently all persons with a specific
              age, it can be a good idea to have an index on field age. This can be done with the
              following call:

              mnesia:add_table_index(person, age)

              Indexes do not come for free. They occupy space that is proportional to  the  table
              size, and they cause insertions into the table to execute slightly slower.

       all_keys(Tab) -> KeyList | transaction abort

              Returns  a  list of all keys in the table named Tab. The semantics of this function
              is context-sensitive. For more information, see mnesia:activity/4. In  transaction-
              context, it acquires a read lock on the entire table.

       async_dirty(Fun, [, Args]) -> ResultOfFun | exit(Reason)

              Calls  the  Fun  in  a  context  that is not protected by a transaction. The Mnesia
              function calls  performed  in  the  Fun  are  mapped  to  the  corresponding  dirty
              functions.  This  still involves logging, replication, and subscriptions, but there
              is no locking, local transaction storage, or commit protocols involved.  Checkpoint
              retainers  and  indexes  are  updated,  but  they  are updated dirty. As for normal
              mnesia:dirty_* operations, the operations are  performed  semi-asynchronously.  For
              details, see mnesia:activity/4 and the User's Guide.

              The  Mnesia  tables  can  be  manipulated without using transactions. This has some
              serious disadvantages, but is considerably faster, as the  transaction  manager  is
              not  involved  and  no  locks are set. A dirty operation does, however, guarantee a
              certain level of consistency,  and  the  dirty  operations  cannot  return  garbled
              records.  All dirty operations provide location transparency to the programmer, and
              a program does not have to be aware of  the  whereabouts  of  a  certain  table  to
              function.

              Notice  that  it  is  more than ten times more efficient to read records dirty than
              within a transaction.

              Depending on the application, it can be a good idea to use the dirty functions  for
              certain  operations.  Almost  all  Mnesia  functions  that  can  be  called  within
              transactions have a dirty equivalent, which is much more efficient.

              However, notice that there  is  a  risk  that  the  database  can  be  left  in  an
              inconsistent  state if dirty operations are used to update it. Dirty operations are
              only to be used for performance reasons when it is absolutely necessary.

              Notice that calling (nesting)  mnesia:[a]sync_dirty  inside  a  transaction-context
              inherits the transaction semantics.

       backup(Opaque [, BackupMod]) -> ok | {error,Reason}

              Activates  a  new checkpoint covering all Mnesia tables, including the schema, with
              maximum degree of redundancy, and performs a  backup  using  backup_checkpoint/2/3.
              The  default  value  of  the  backup  callback  module  BackupMod  is  obtained  by
              mnesia:system_info(backup_module).

       backup_checkpoint(Name, Opaque [, BackupMod]) -> ok | {error,Reason}

              The tables are backed up to external media using backup  module  BackupMod.  Tables
              with  the  local contents property are backed up as they exist on the current node.
              BackupMod    is    the    default    backup    callback    module    obtained    by
              mnesia:system_info(backup_module).   For   information  about  the  exact  callback
              interface (the mnesia_backup behavior), see the User's Guide.

       change_config(Config, Value) -> {error, Reason} | {ok, ReturnValue}

              Config is to be an atom of the following configuration parameters:

                extra_db_nodes:
                  Value is a list of nodes that Mnesia is to try to connect  to.  ReturnValue  is
                  those nodes in Value that Mnesia is connected to.

                  Notice  that  this  function  must only be used to connect to newly started RAM
                  nodes (N.D.R.S.N.) with an empty schema. If, for example, this function is used
                  after the network has been partitioned, it can lead to inconsistent tables.

                  Notice  that  Mnesia  can  be  connected  to other nodes than those returned in
                  ReturnValue.

                dc_dump_limit:
                  Value is a number. See the description  in  Section  Configuration  Parameters.
                  ReturnValue  is  the new value. Notice that this configuration parameter is not
                  persistent. It is lost when Mnesia has stopped.

       change_table_access_mode(Tab, AccessMode) -> {aborted, R} | {atomic, ok}

              AcccessMode is by default the atom read_write but it can also be set  to  the  atom
              read_only.  If  AccessMode  is  set  to  read_only,  updates to the table cannot be
              performed. At startup, Mnesia always loads read_only tables locally  regardless  of
              when and if Mnesia is terminated on other nodes.

       change_table_copy_type(Tab, Node, To) -> {aborted, R} | {atomic, ok}

              For example:

              mnesia:change_table_copy_type(person, node(), disc_copies)

              Transforms the person table from a RAM table into a disc-based table at Node.

              This  function  can  also  be  used  to  change the storage type of the table named
              schema. The schema table can only have ram_copies or  disc_copies  as  the  storage
              type.  If the storage type of the schema is ram_copies, no other table can be disc-
              resident on that node.

       change_table_load_order(Tab, LoadOrder) -> {aborted, R} | {atomic, ok}

              The LoadOrder priority is by default 0 (zero) but can be set to  any  integer.  The
              tables with the highest LoadOrder priority are loaded first at startup.

       change_table_majority(Tab, Majority) -> {aborted, R} | {atomic, ok}

              Majority  must  be  a boolean. Default is false. When true, a majority of the table
              replicas must be available for an  update  to  succeed.  When  used  on  fragmented
              tables,  Tab must be the base table name. Directly changing the majority setting on
              individual fragments is not allowed.

       clear_table(Tab) -> {aborted, R} | {atomic, ok}

              Deletes all entries in the table Tab.

       create_schema(DiscNodes) -> ok | {error,Reason}

              Creates a new database on disc. Various files  are  created  in  the  local  Mnesia
              directory of each node. Notice that the directory must be unique for each node. Two
              nodes must never share the same directory. If possible, use a local disc device  to
              improve performance.

              mnesia:create_schema/1  fails if any of the Erlang nodes given as DiscNodes are not
              alive, if Mnesia is running on any of the nodes, or if any  of  the  nodes  already
              have a schema. Use mnesia:delete_schema/1 to get rid of old faulty schemas.

              Notice  that only nodes with disc are to be included in DiscNodes. Disc-less nodes,
              that is, nodes where all tables including the schema only resides in RAM, must  not
              be included.

       create_table(Name, TabDef) -> {atomic, ok} | {aborted, Reason}

              Creates  a Mnesia table called Name according to argument TabDef. This list must be
              a list of {Item, Value} tuples, where the following values are allowed:

                * {access_mode, Atom}. The access mode is by default the atom read_write  but  it
                  can  also  be  set  to  the  atom read_only. If AccessMode is set to read_only,
                  updates to the table cannot be performed.

                  At startup, Mnesia always loads read_only table locally regardless of when  and
                  if  Mnesia  is terminated on other nodes. This argument returns the access mode
                  of the table. The access mode can be read_only or read_write.

                * {attributes, AtomList} is a list of the attribute names for  the  records  that
                  are  supposed  to  populate the table. Default is [key, val]. The table must at
                  least have one extra attribute in addition to the key.

                  When accessing single attributes in a record, it  is  not  necessary,  or  even
                  recommended,  to  hard  code  any  attribute  names  as  atoms.  Use  construct
                  record_info(fields, RecordName) instead. It can be used  for  records  of  type
                  RecordName.

                * {disc_copies, Nodelist}, where Nodelist is a list of the nodes where this table
                  is supposed to have disc copies. If a table replica is of type disc_copies, all
                  write  operations  on  this particular replica of the table are written to disc
                  and to the RAM copy of the table.

                  It is possible to have a replicated table of type disc_copies on one  node  and
                  another type on another node. Default is [].

                * {disc_only_copies,  Nodelist}, where Nodelist is a list of the nodes where this
                  table is supposed to have disc_only_copies. A disc only table replica  is  kept
                  on disc only and unlike the other replica types, the contents of the replica do
                  not reside in RAM. These replicas are considerably slower than replicas held in
                  RAM.

                * {index,  Intlist}, where Intlist is a list of attribute names (atoms) or record
                  fields for which Mnesia is to build and maintain an extra index table. The  qlc
                  query compiler may be able to optimize queries if there are indexes available.

                * {load_order,  Integer}.  The load order priority is by default 0 (zero) but can
                  be set to any integer. The tables with the  highest  load  order  priority  are
                  loaded first at startup.

                * {majority, Flag}, where Flag must be a boolean. If true, any (non-dirty) update
                  to the table is aborted, unless a majority of the table replicas are  available
                  for  the  commit.  When used on a fragmented table, all fragments are given the
                  same the same majority setting.

                * {ram_copies, Nodelist}, where Nodelist is a list of the nodes where this  table
                  is  supposed  to  have  RAM  copies.  A table replica of type ram_copies is not
                  written to disc on a per transaction basis. ram_copies replicas can  be  dumped
                  to  disc  with  the  function  mnesia:dump_tables(Tabs). Default value for this
                  attribute is [node()].

                * {record_name, Name}, where Name must be an atom.  All  records  stored  in  the
                  table must have this name as the first element. It defaults to the same name as
                  the table name.

                * {snmp,    SnmpStruct}.    For    a    description    of     SnmpStruct,     see
                  mnesia:snmp_open_table/2.   If   this   attribute  is  present  in  ArgList  to
                  mnesia:create_table/2, the table is immediately accessible by  SNMP.  Therefore
                  applications that use SNMP to manipulate and control the system can be designed
                  easily, since Mnesia provides a direct mapping between the logical tables  that
                  make  up  an  SNMP  control  application  and the physical data that makes up a
                  Mnesia table.

                * {storage_properties, [{Backend, Properties}] forwards more  properties  to  the
                  back end storage. Backend can currently be ets or dets. Properties is a list of
                  options sent to the back end storage during table creation.  Properties  cannot
                  contain properties already used by Mnesia, such as type or named_table.

                  For example:

                mnesia:create_table(table, [{ram_copies, [node()]}, {disc_only_copies, nodes()},
                       {storage_properties,
                        [{ets, [compressed]}, {dets, [{auto_save, 5000}]} ]}])

                * {type,  Type}, where Type must be either of the atoms set, ordered_set, or bag.
                  Default is set. In a set, all records have  unique  keys.  In  a  bag,  several
                  records  can  have  the  same  key, but the record content is unique. If a non-
                  unique record is stored, the old conflicting records are overwritten.

                  Notice that currently ordered_set is not supported for disc_only_copies.

                * {local_content, Bool}, where Bool is true or false. Default is false.

              For example, the following call creates the  person  table  (defined  earlier)  and
              replicates it on two nodes:

              mnesia:create_table(person,
                  [{ram_copies, [N1, N2]},
                   {attributes, record_info(fields, person)}]).

              If  it  is  required  that  Mnesia  must build and maintain an extra index table on
              attribute address of all the person records that are inserted  in  the  table,  the
              following code would be issued:

              mnesia:create_table(person,
                  [{ram_copies, [N1, N2]},
                   {index, [address]},
                   {attributes, record_info(fields, person)}]).

              The  specification  of  index  and attributes can be hard-coded as {index, [2]} and
              {attributes, [name, age, address, salary, children]}, respectively.

              mnesia:create_table/2 writes records into the table schema. This function, and  all
              other  schema  manipulation  functions, are implemented with the normal transaction
              management system. This guarantees that schema updates are performed on  all  nodes
              in an atomic manner.

       deactivate_checkpoint(Name) -> ok | {error, Reason}

              The  checkpoint  is automatically deactivated when some of the tables involved have
              no retainer attached to them. This can occur when nodes go down or when  a  replica
              is  deleted.  Checkpoints are also deactivated with this function. Name is the name
              of an active checkpoint.

       del_table_copy(Tab, Node) -> {aborted, R} | {atomic, ok}

              Deletes the replica of table Tab at node Node. When the  last  replica  is  deleted
              with this function, the table disappears entirely.

              This  function  can also be used to delete a replica of the table named schema. The
              Mnesia node is then removed. Notice that Mnesia must be stopped on the node first.

       del_table_index(Tab, AttrName) -> {aborted, R} | {atomic, ok}

              Deletes the index on attribute with name AttrName in a table.

       delete({Tab, Key}) -> transaction abort | ok

              Calls mnesia:delete(Tab, Key, write).

       delete(Tab, Key, LockKind) -> transaction abort | ok

              Deletes all records in table Tab with the key Key.

              The  semantics  of  this  function   is   context-sensitive.   For   details,   see
              mnesia:activity/4.  In  transaction-context, it acquires a lock of type LockKind in
              the record. Currently, the lock types write and sticky_write are supported.

       delete_object(Record) -> transaction abort | ok

              Calls mnesia:delete_object(Tab, Record, write), where Tab is element(1, Record).

       delete_object(Tab, Record, LockKind) -> transaction abort | ok

              If a table is of type bag, it can sometimes be needed to delete only  some  of  the
              records  with  a certain key. This can be done with the function delete_object/3. A
              complete record must be supplied to this function.

              The  semantics  of  this  function   is   context-sensitive.   For   details,   see
              mnesia:activity/4.  In  transaction-context, it acquires a lock of type LockKind on
              the record. Currently, the lock types write and sticky_write are supported.

       delete_schema(DiscNodes) -> ok | {error,Reason}

              Deletes a  database  created  with  mnesia:create_schema/1.  mnesia:delete_schema/1
              fails  if any of the Erlang nodes given as DiscNodes are not alive, or if Mnesia is
              running on any of the nodes.

              After the database is deleted, it can still be possible to start Mnesia as a  disc-
              less node. This depends on how configuration parameter schema_location is set.

          Warning:
              Use  this  function  with  extreme  caution,  as  it makes existing persistent data
              obsolete. Think twice before using it.

       delete_table(Tab) -> {aborted, Reason} | {atomic, ok}

              Permanently deletes all replicas of table Tab.

       dirty_all_keys(Tab) -> KeyList | exit({aborted, Reason})

              Dirty equivalent of the function mnesia:all_keys/1.

       dirty_delete({Tab, Key}) -> ok | exit({aborted, Reason})

              Calls mnesia:dirty_delete(Tab, Key).

       dirty_delete(Tab, Key) -> ok | exit({aborted, Reason})

              Dirty equivalent of the function mnesia:delete/3.

       dirty_delete_object(Record)

              Calls mnesia:dirty_delete_object(Tab, Record), where Tab is element(1, Record).

       dirty_delete_object(Tab, Record)

              Dirty equivalent of the function mnesia:delete_object/3.

       dirty_first(Tab) -> Key | exit({aborted, Reason})

              Records in set or bag tables are not ordered. However, there is an ordering of  the
              records  that  is  unknown to the user. Therefore, a table can be traversed by this
              function with the function mnesia:dirty_next/2.

              If  there  are  no  records  in  the  table,  this  function   returns   the   atom
              '$end_of_table'.  It  is  therefore  highly undesirable, but not disallowed, to use
              this atom as the key for any user records.

       dirty_index_match_object(Pattern, Pos)

              Starts mnesia:dirty_index_match_object(Tab, Pattern, Pos), where Tab is  element(1,
              Pattern).

       dirty_index_match_object(Tab, Pattern, Pos)

              Dirty equivalent of the function mnesia:index_match_object/4.

       dirty_index_read(Tab, SecondaryKey, Pos)

              Dirty equivalent of the function mnesia:index_read/3.

       dirty_last(Tab) -> Key | exit({aborted, Reason})

              Works  exactly like mnesia:dirty_first/1 but returns the last object in Erlang term
              order  for   the   ordered_set   table   type.   For   all   other   table   types,
              mnesia:dirty_first/1 and mnesia:dirty_last/1 are synonyms.

       dirty_match_object(Pattern) -> RecordList | exit({aborted, Reason})

              Calls mnesia:dirty_match_object(Tab, Pattern), where Tab is element(1, Pattern).

       dirty_match_object(Tab, Pattern) -> RecordList | exit({aborted, Reason})

              Dirty equivalent of the function mnesia:match_object/3.

       dirty_next(Tab, Key) -> Key | exit({aborted, Reason})

              Traverses a table and performs operations on all records in the table. When the end
              of the table is reached, the special key '$end_of_table'  is  returned.  Otherwise,
              the function returns a key that can be used to read the actual record. The behavior
              is undefined if another Erlang process performs write operations on the table while
              it is being traversed with the function mnesia:dirty_next/2.

       dirty_prev(Tab, Key) -> Key | exit({aborted, Reason})

              Works  exactly  like  mnesia:dirty_next/2 but returns the previous object in Erlang
              term  order  for  the  ordered_set  table  type.  For  all   other   table   types,
              mnesia:dirty_next/2 and mnesia:dirty_prev/2 are synonyms.

       dirty_read({Tab, Key}) -> ValueList | exit({aborted, Reason}

              Calls mnesia:dirty_read(Tab, Key).

       dirty_read(Tab, Key) -> ValueList | exit({aborted, Reason}

              Dirty equivalent of the function mnesia:read/3.

       dirty_select(Tab, MatchSpec) -> ValueList | exit({aborted, Reason}

              Dirty equivalent of the function mnesia:select/2.

       dirty_slot(Tab, Slot) -> RecordList | exit({aborted, Reason})

              Traverses  a table in a manner similar to the function mnesia:dirty_next/2. A table
              has a number of slots that range from 0 (zero)  to  an  unknown  upper  bound.  The
              function  mnesia:dirty_slot/2 returns the special atom '$end_of_table' when the end
              of the table is reached. The behavior of this function  is  undefined  if  a  write
              operation is performed on the table while it is being traversed.

       dirty_update_counter({Tab, Key}, Incr) -> NewVal | exit({aborted, Reason})

              Calls mnesia:dirty_update_counter(Tab, Key, Incr).

       dirty_update_counter(Tab, Key, Incr) -> NewVal | exit({aborted, Reason})

              Mnesia  has  no  special  counter  records. However, records of the form {Tab, Key,
              Integer} can be used as (possibly disc-resident) counters when Tab is a  set.  This
              function  updates  a  counter with a positive or negative number. However, counters
              can never become less than zero. There are two significant differences between this
              function  and  the  action of first reading the record, performing the arithmetics,
              and then writing the record:

                * It is much more efficient.

                * mnesia:dirty_update_counter/3 is performed as an atomic operation  although  it
                  is not protected by a transaction.

              If two processes perform mnesia:dirty_update_counter/3 simultaneously, both updates
              take effect without the risk of losing one of the updates. The new value NewVal  of
              the counter is returned.

              If  Key do not exists, a new record is created with value Incr if it is larger than
              0, otherwise it is set to 0.

       dirty_write(Record) -> ok | exit({aborted, Reason})

              Calls mnesia:dirty_write(Tab, Record), where Tab is element(1, Record).

       dirty_write(Tab, Record) -> ok | exit({aborted, Reason})

              Dirty equivalent of the function mnesia:write/3.

       dump_log() -> dumped

              Performs a user-initiated  dump  of  the  local  log  file.  This  is  usually  not
              necessary,  as  Mnesia  by  default  manages  this automatically. See configuration
              parameters dump_log_time_threshold and dump_log_write_threshold.

       dump_tables(TabList) -> {atomic, ok} | {aborted, Reason}

              Dumps a set of ram_copies tables to disc. The next  time  the  system  is  started,
              these  tables are initiated with the data found in the files that are the result of
              this dump. None of the tables can have disc-resident replicas.

       dump_to_textfile(Filename)

              Dumps all local tables of a Mnesia system into a text file, which can be edited (by
              a  normal  text  editor) and then be reloaded with mnesia:load_textfile/1. Only use
              this function for educational purposes. Use  other  functions  to  deal  with  real
              backups.

       error_description(Error) -> String

              All  Mnesia  transactions, including all the schema update functions, either return
              value {atomic, Val} or the tuple {aborted, Reason}. Reason can  be  either  of  the
              atoms in the following list. The function error_description/1 returns a descriptive
              string that describes the error.

                * nested_transaction. Nested transactions are not allowed in this context.

                * badarg. Bad or invalid argument, possibly bad type.

                * no_transaction. Operation not allowed outside transactions.

                * combine_error. Table options illegally combined.

                * bad_index. Index already exists, or was out of bounds.

                * already_exists. Schema option to be activated is already on.

                * index_exists. Some operations cannot be performed on tables with an index.

                * no_exists. Tried to perform operation on non-existing (not-alive) item.

                * system_limit. A system limit was exhausted.

                * mnesia_down. A transaction involves records on  a  remote  node,  which  became
                  unavailable  before  the  transaction  was  completed.  Records  are  no longer
                  available elsewhere in the network.

                * not_a_db_node. A node was mentioned that does not exist in the schema.

                * bad_type. Bad type specified in argument.

                * node_not_running. Node is not running.

                * truncated_binary_file. Truncated binary in file.

                * active. Some delete operations require that all active records are removed.

                * illegal. Operation not supported on this record.

              Error can be Reason, {error, Reason}, or {aborted, Reason}. Reason can be  an  atom
              or a tuple with Reason as an atom in the first field.

              The  following examples illustrate a function that returns an error, and the method
              to retrieve more detailed error information:

                * The function mnesia:create_table(bar, [{attributes, 3.14}]) returns  the  tuple
                  {aborted,Reason}, where Reason is the tuple {bad_type,bar,3.14000}.

                * The  function  mnesia:error_description(Reason)  returns the term {"Bad type on
                  some provided arguments",bar,3.14000}, which is an error  description  suitable
                  for display.

       ets(Fun, [, Args]) -> ResultOfFun | exit(Reason)

              Calls  the  Fun in a raw context that is not protected by a transaction. The Mnesia
              function call is performed in the Fun and  performed  directly  on  the  local  ETS
              tables  on  the assumption that the local storage type is ram_copies and the tables
              are not replicated to other nodes. Subscriptions are not triggered and  checkpoints
              are  not  updated,  but  it is extremely fast. This function can also be applied to
              disc_copies  tables  if  all  operations  are   read   only.   For   details,   see
              mnesia:activity/4 and the User's Guide.

              Notice  that  calling  (nesting) a mnesia:ets inside a transaction-context inherits
              the transaction semantics.

       first(Tab) -> Key | transaction abort

              Records in set or bag tables are not ordered. However, there is an ordering of  the
              records  that  is  unknown  to the user. A table can therefore be traversed by this
              function with the function mnesia:next/2.

              If  there  are  no  records  in  the  table,  this  function   returns   the   atom
              '$end_of_table'.  It  is  therefore  highly undesirable, but not disallowed, to use
              this atom as the key for any user records.

       foldl(Function, Acc, Table) -> NewAcc | transaction abort

              Iterates over the table Table and calls Function(Record, NewAcc) for each Record in
              the  table.  The  term returned from Function is used as the second argument in the
              next call to Function.

              foldl returns the same term as the last call to Function returned.

       foldr(Function, Acc, Table) -> NewAcc | transaction abort

              Works exactly like foldl/3 but iterates the table in the  opposite  order  for  the
              ordered_set  table  type.  For  all  other  table  types,  foldr/3  and foldl/3 are
              synonyms.

       force_load_table(Tab) -> yes | ErrorDescription

              The Mnesia algorithm for table load can lead to a situation where a table cannot be
              loaded.  This  situation  occurs  when  a  node is started and Mnesia concludes, or
              suspects, that another copy of the table was active after this  local  copy  became
              inactive because of a system crash.

              If  this  situation  is  not  acceptable, this function can be used to override the
              strategy of the Mnesia table load algorithm. This can lead  to  a  situation  where
              some  transaction effects are lost with an inconsistent database as result, but for
              some applications high availability is more important than consistent data.

       index_match_object(Pattern, Pos) -> transaction abort | ObjList

              Starts mnesia:index_match_object(Tab, Pattern, Pos, read), where Tab is  element(1,
              Pattern).

       index_match_object(Tab, Pattern, Pos, LockKind) -> transaction abort | ObjList

              In  a manner similar to the function mnesia:index_read/3, any index information can
              be used when trying to match records. This function takes a pattern that obeys  the
              same  rules  as  the  function  mnesia:match_object/3,  except  that  this function
              requires the following conditions:

                * The table Tab must have an index on position Pos.

                * The element in position Pos in  Pattern  must  be  bound.  Pos  is  an  integer
                  (#record.Field) or an attribute name.

              The  two  index  search  functions  described  here  are automatically started when
              searching tables with qlc list comprehensions and also  when  using  the  low-level
              mnesia:[dirty_]match_object functions.

              The   semantics   of   this   function   is  context-sensitive.  For  details,  see
              mnesia:activity/4. In transaction-context, it acquires a lock of type  LockKind  on
              the entire table or on a single record. Currently, the lock type read is supported.

       index_read(Tab, SecondaryKey, Pos) -> transaction abort | RecordList

              Assume  that  there  is  an  index  on position Pos for a certain record type. This
              function can be used to read the records without knowing the  actual  key  for  the
              record.  For  example,  with  an  index  in  position  1  of table person, the call
              mnesia:index_read(person, 36, #person.age) returns a list of all persons  with  age
              36.   Pos   can   also   be   an   attribute  name  (atom),  but  if  the  notation
              mnesia:index_read(person, 36, age) is used, the field position is searched  for  in
              runtime, for each call.

              The   semantics   of   this   function   is  context-sensitive.  For  details,  see
              mnesia:activity/4. In transaction-context, it acquires a read lock  on  the  entire
              table.

       info() -> ok

              Prints system information on the terminal. This function can be used even if Mnesia
              is not started. However, more information is displayed if Mnesia is started.

       install_fallback(Opaque) -> ok | {error,Reason}

              Calls mnesia:install_fallback(Opaque, Args), where Args is [{scope, global}].

       install_fallback(Opaque), BackupMod) -> ok | {error,Reason}

              Calls  mnesia:install_fallback(Opaque,  Args),  where  Args  is  [{scope,  global},
              {module, BackupMod}].

       install_fallback(Opaque, Args) -> ok | {error,Reason}

              Installs  a backup as fallback. The fallback is used to restore the database at the
              next startup. Installation of fallbacks requires Erlang to be  operational  on  all
              the  involved  nodes,  but  it  does  not  matter  if Mnesia is running or not. The
              installation of the fallback fails if the local  node  is  not  one  of  the  disc-
              resident nodes in the backup.

              Args is a list of the following tuples:

                * {module,  BackupMod}.  All accesses of the backup media are performed through a
                  callback module named BackupMod. Argument Opaque is forwarded to  the  callback
                  module,  which  can  interpret  it as it wishes. The default callback module is
                  called mnesia_backup and it interprets argument Opaque as a local filename. The
                  default  for  this  module is also configurable through configuration parameter
                  -mnesia mnesia_backup.

                * {scope, Scope}. The Scope of  a  fallback  is  either  global  for  the  entire
                  database or local for one node. By default, the installation of a fallback is a
                  global operation, which either is performed on all nodes with  a  disc-resident
                  schema  or  none.  Which  nodes  that  are disc-resident is determined from the
                  schema information in the backup.

                  If Scope of the operation is local, the fallback is only installed on the local
                  node.

                * {mnesia_dir,  AlternateDir}.  This  argument  is only valid if the scope of the
                  installation is local. Normally the installation of a fallback is  targeted  to
                  the  Mnesia  directory, as configured with configuration parameter -mnesia dir.
                  But by explicitly supplying an AlternateDir, the fallback  is  installed  there
                  regardless  of  the  Mnesia  directory  configuration  parameter setting. After
                  installation of a fallback on an alternative Mnesia directory,  that  directory
                  is fully prepared for use as an active Mnesia directory.

                  This  is  a  dangerous  feature  that  must be used with care. By unintentional
                  mixing of directories, you can easily end up with an inconsistent database,  if
                  the same backup is installed on more than one directory.

       is_transaction() -> boolean

              When  this  function  is  executed  inside  a transaction-context, it returns true,
              otherwise false.

       last(Tab) -> Key | transaction abort

              Works exactly like mnesia:first/1, but returns the last object in Erlang term order
              for  the  ordered_set  table  type.  For  all other table types, mnesia:first/1 and
              mnesia:last/1 are synonyms.

       load_textfile(Filename)

              Loads a series of definitions and data found  in  the  text  file  (generated  with
              mnesia:dump_to_textfile/1)  into  Mnesia.  This  function  also  starts  Mnesia and
              possibly creates a new schema. This function is intended for  educational  purposes
              only. It is recommended to use other functions to deal with real backups.

       lock(LockItem, LockKind) -> Nodes | ok | transaction abort

              Write locks are normally acquired on all nodes where a replica of the table resides
              (and is active). Read locks are acquired on one node (the local  node  if  a  local
              replica exists). Most of the context-sensitive access functions acquire an implicit
              lock if they are started in a transaction-context. The granularity of  a  lock  can
              either be a single record or an entire table.

              The  normal  use  is  to call the function without checking the return value, as it
              exits if it fails and the transaction is restarted by the transaction  manager.  It
              returns  all  the  locked nodes if a write lock is acquired and ok if it was a read
              lock.

              The function mnesia:lock/2 is intended to support explicit locking on  tables,  but
              is  also  intended  for situations when locks need to be acquired regardless of how
              tables are replicated. Currently, two kinds of LockKind are supported:

                write:
                  Write locks are exclusive. This  means  that  if  one  transaction  manages  to
                  acquire  a  write lock on an item, no other transaction can acquire any kind of
                  lock on the same item.

                read:
                  Read locks can be shared. This means that if one transaction manages to acquire
                  a  read lock on an item, other transactions can also acquire a read lock on the
                  same item. However, if someone has a read lock, no one can acquire a write lock
                  at the same item. If someone has a write lock, no one can acquire either a read
                  lock or a write lock at the same item.

              Conflicting lock requests are automatically  queued  if  there  is  no  risk  of  a
              deadlock.  Otherwise  the transaction must be terminated and executed again. Mnesia
              does this automatically as long as the upper limit of the maximum  retries  is  not
              reached. For details, see mnesia:transaction/3.

              For  the sake of completeness, sticky write locks are also described here even if a
              sticky write lock is not supported by this function:

                sticky_write:
                  Sticky write locks are a mechanism that can be  used  to  optimize  write  lock
                  acquisition.  If  your  application  uses  replicated  tables  mainly for fault
                  tolerance (as opposed to read access optimization purpose), sticky locks can be
                  the best option available.

                  When  a  sticky  write  lock  is acquired, all nodes are informed which node is
                  locked. Then, sticky lock requests from the same node are performed as a  local
                  operation  without  any communication with other nodes. The sticky lock lingers
                  on the node even after the transaction ends. For details, see the User's Guide.

              Currently, this function supports two kinds of LockItem:

                {table, Tab}:
                  This acquires a lock of type LockKind on the entire table Tab.

                {global, GlobalKey, Nodes}:
                  This acquires a lock of type LockKind on the  global  resource  GlobalKey.  The
                  lock is acquired on all active nodes in the Nodes list.

              Locks are released when the outermost transaction ends.

              The   semantics   of   this   function   is  context-sensitive.  For  details,  see
              mnesia:activity/4. In transaction-context, it acquires locks, otherwise it  ignores
              the request.

       match_object(Pattern) -> transaction abort | RecList

              Calls mnesia:match_object(Tab, Pattern, read), where Tab is element(1, Pattern).

       match_object(Tab, Pattern, LockKind) -> transaction abort | RecList

              Takes  a  pattern  with  "don't  care"  variables  denoted as a '_' parameter. This
              function returns a list of records that  matched  the  pattern.  Since  the  second
              element  of  a  record  in  a table is considered to be the key for the record, the
              performance of this function depends on whether this key is bound or not.

              For example, the call mnesia:match_object(person,  {person,  '_',  36,  '_',  '_'},
              read) returns a list of all person records with an age field of 36.

              The  function  mnesia:match_object/3  automatically  uses  indexes  if these exist.
              However, no heuristics are performed to select the best index.

              The  semantics  of  this  function   is   context-sensitive.   For   details,   see
              mnesia:activity/4.  In  transaction-context, it acquires a lock of type LockKind on
              the entire table or a single record. Currently, the lock type read is supported.

       move_table_copy(Tab, From, To) -> {aborted, Reason} | {atomic, ok}

              Moves the copy of table Tab from node From to node To.

              The storage type is preserved. For example, a RAM table moved from one node remains
              a  RAM  on  the  new node. Other transactions can still read and write in the table
              while it is being moved.

              This function cannot be used on local_content tables.

       next(Tab, Key) -> Key | transaction abort

              Traverses a table and performs operations on all records in the table. When the end
              of the table is reached, the special key '$end_of_table' is returned. Otherwise the
              function returns a key that can be used to read the actual record.

       prev(Tab, Key) -> Key | transaction abort

              Works exactly like mnesia:next/2, but returns the previous object  in  Erlang  term
              order  for the ordered_set table type. For all other table types, mnesia:next/2 and
              mnesia:prev/2 are synonyms.

       read({Tab, Key}) -> transaction abort | RecordList

              Calls function mnesia:read(Tab, Key, read).

       read(Tab, Key) -> transaction abort | RecordList

              Calls function mnesia:read(Tab, Key, read).

       read(Tab, Key, LockKind) -> transaction abort | RecordList

              Reads all records from table Tab with key Key. This function has the same semantics
              regardless  of  the  location  of  Tab.  If  the table is of type bag, the function
              mnesia:read(Tab, Key) can return an arbitrarily long list. If the table is of  type
              set, the list is either of length 1, or [].

              The   semantics   of   this   function   is  context-sensitive.  For  details,  see
              mnesia:activity/4. In transaction-context, it acquires a  lock  of  type  LockKind.
              Currently, the lock types read, write, and sticky_write are supported.

              If   the   user   wants  to  update  the  record,  it  is  more  efficient  to  use
              write/sticky_write as the LockKind. If majority checking is active on the table, it
              is checked as soon as a write lock is attempted. This can be used to end quickly if
              the majority condition is not met.

       read_lock_table(Tab) -> ok | transaction abort

              Calls the function mnesia:lock({table, Tab}, read).

       report_event(Event) -> ok

              When tracing a system of Mnesia applications it is useful to be able to  interleave
              Mnesia  own  events with application-related events that give information about the
              application context.

              Whenever the application begins a new and demanding Mnesia task, or if it enters  a
              new   interesting   phase  in  its  execution,  it  can  be  a  good  idea  to  use
              mnesia:report_event/1. Event can be any term and generates a  {mnesia_user,  Event}
              event for any processes that subscribe to Mnesia system events.

       restore(Opaque, Args) -> {atomic, RestoredTabs} |{aborted, Reason}

              With  this function, tables can be restored online from a backup without restarting
              Mnesia. Opaque is forwarded to the backup module. Args is a list of  the  following
              tuples:

                * {module,BackupMod}.  The  backup  module BackupMod is used to access the backup
                  media. If omitted, the default backup module is used.

                * {skip_tables, TabList}, where TabList is a list of tables that  is  not  to  be
                  read from the backup.

                * {clear_tables,  TabList},  where  TabList  is  a  list  of tables that is to be
                  cleared before the records from the backup are inserted. That is,  all  records
                  in  the  tables  are deleted before the tables are restored. Schema information
                  about the tables is not cleared or read from the backup.

                * {keep_tables, TabList}, where TabList is a list of tables that  is  not  to  be
                  cleared  before  the records from the backup are inserted. That is, the records
                  in the backup are added to the records in the table. Schema  information  about
                  the tables is not cleared or read from the backup.

                * {recreate_tables,  TabList},  where  TabList  is a list of tables that is to be
                  recreated before the records from the backup are inserted. The tables are first
                  deleted  and  then created with the schema information from the backup. All the
                  nodes in the backup need to be operational.

                * {default_op,  Operation},  where  Operation  is  either   of   the   operations
                  skip_tables,   clear_tables,   keep_tables,  or  recreate_tables.  The  default
                  operation specifies which operation that is to  be  used  on  tables  from  the
                  backup  that  is  not  specified  in  any  of  the mentioned lists. If omitted,
                  operation clear_tables is used.

              The affected tables are write-locked during the restoration. However, regardless of
              the  lock  conflicts caused by this, the applications can continue to do their work
              while the restoration is being performed.  The  restoration  is  performed  as  one
              single transaction.

              If  the  database  is huge, it it not always possible to restore it online. In such
              cases, restore the old database by installing a fallback and then restart.

       s_delete({Tab, Key}) -> ok | transaction abort

              Calls the function mnesia:delete(Tab, Key, sticky_write)

       s_delete_object(Record) -> ok | transaction abort

              Calls the function mnesia:delete_object(Tab, Record, sticky_write),  where  Tab  is
              element(1, Record).

       s_write(Record) -> ok | transaction abort

              Calls the function mnesia:write(Tab, Record, sticky_write), where Tab is element(1,
              Record).

       schema() -> ok

              Prints information about all table definitions on the terminal.

       schema(Tab) -> ok

              Prints information about one table definition on the terminal.

       select(Tab, MatchSpec [, Lock]) -> transaction abort | [Object]

              Matches  the  objects  in  table  Tab  using  a  match_spec  as  described  in  the
              ets:select/3.  Optionally  a lock read or write can be given as the third argument.
              Default is read. The return value depends on MatchSpec.

              Notice that for best performance,  select  is  to  be  used  before  any  modifying
              operations  are  done  on  that  table in the same transaction. That is, do not use
              write or delete before a select.

              In its simplest forms, the match_spec look as follows:

                * MatchSpec = [MatchFunction]

                * MatchFunction = {MatchHead, [Guard], [Result]}

                * MatchHead = tuple() | record()

                * Guard = {"Guardtest name", ...}

                * Result = "Term construct"

              For a complete description of select, see the ERTS User's Guide and the ets  manual
              page in STDLIB.

              For example, to find the names of all male persons older than 30 in table Tab:

              MatchHead = #person{name='$1', sex=male, age='$2', _='_'},
              Guard = {'>', '$2', 30},
              Result = '$1',
              mnesia:select(Tab,[{MatchHead, [Guard], [Result]}]),

       select(Tab,   MatchSpec,   NObjects,  Lock)  ->  transaction  abort  |  {[Object],Cont}  |
       '$end_of_table'

              Matches the objects in table Tab using a match_spec as described in the ERTS User's
              Guide,  and  returns  a  chunk  of  terms  and a continuation. The wanted number of
              returned terms is specified by argument NObjects. The lock argument can be read  or
              write.  The  continuation  is to be used as argument to mnesia:select/1, if more or
              all answers are needed.

              Notice that for best performance,  select  is  to  be  used  before  any  modifying
              operations  are  done  on  that  table in the same transaction. That is, do not use
              mnesia:write or mnesia:delete before a mnesia:select. For efficiency, NObjects is a
              recommendation  only  and the result can contain anything from an empty list to all
              available results.

       select(Cont) -> transaction abort | {[Object],Cont} | '$end_of_table'

              Selects more objects with the match specification initiated by mnesia:select/4.

              Notice that any modifying operations, that is, mnesia:write or mnesia:delete,  that
              are  done  between the mnesia:select/4 and mnesia:select/1 calls are not visible in
              the result.

       set_debug_level(Level) -> OldLevel

              Changes the internal debug level of Mnesia. For details, see Section  Configuration
              Parameters.

       set_master_nodes(MasterNodes) -> ok | {error, Reason}

              For   each  table  Mnesia  determines  its  replica  nodes  (TabNodes)  and  starts
              mnesia:set_master_nodes(Tab,   TabMasterNodes).   where   TabMasterNodes   is   the
              intersection     of     MasterNodes    and    TabNodes.    For    semantics,    see
              mnesia:set_master_nodes/2.

       set_master_nodes(Tab, MasterNodes) -> ok | {error, Reason}

              If the application detects a communication failure (in  a  potentially  partitioned
              network)  that  can  have  caused an inconsistent database, it can use the function
              mnesia:set_master_nodes(Tab, MasterNodes) to define from which nodes each table  is
              to  be  loaded.  At startup, the Mnesia normal table load algorithm is bypassed and
              the table is loaded from one of the master nodes defined for the table,  regardless
              of when and if Mnesia terminated on other nodes. MasterNodes can only contain nodes
              where the table has a replica. If the MasterNodes list is empty,  the  master  node
              recovery mechanism for the particular table is reset, and the normal load mechanism
              is used at the next restart.

              The master node setting is always local. It can be changed regardless if Mnesia  is
              started or not.

              The   database   can   also   become   inconsistent   if   configuration  parameter
              max_wait_for_decision is used or if mnesia:force_load_table/1 is used.

       snmp_close_table(Tab) -> {aborted, R} | {atomic, ok}

              Removes the possibility for SNMP to manipulate the table.

       snmp_get_mnesia_key(Tab, RowIndex) -> {ok, Key} | undefined

              Types:

                 Tab ::= atom()
                 RowIndex ::= [integer()]
                 Key ::= key() | {key(), key(), ...}
                 key() ::= integer() | string() | [integer()]

              Transforms an SNMP index to the corresponding Mnesia key. If  the  SNMP  table  has
              multiple keys, the key is a tuple of the key columns.

       snmp_get_next_index(Tab, RowIndex) -> {ok, NextIndex} | endOfTable

              Types:

                 Tab ::= atom()
                 RowIndex ::= [integer()]
                 NextIndex ::= [integer()]

              RowIndex  can  specify  a non-existing row. Specifically, it can be the empty list.
              Returns the index of the next lexicographical row. If RowIndex is the  empty  list,
              this function returns the index of the first row in the table.

       snmp_get_row(Tab, RowIndex) -> {ok, Row} | undefined

              Types:

                 Tab ::= atom()
                 RowIndex ::= [integer()]
                 Row ::= record(Tab)

              Reads  a  row  by  its  SNMP  index.  This  index  is  specified  as an SNMP Object
              Identifier, a list of integers.

       snmp_open_table(Tab, SnmpStruct) -> {aborted, R} | {atomic, ok}

              Types:

                 Tab ::= atom()
                 SnmpStruct ::= [{key, type()}]
                 type() ::= type_spec() | {type_spec(), type_spec(), ...}
                 type_spec() ::= fix_string | string | integer

              A direct one-to-one mapping can be  established  between  Mnesia  tables  and  SNMP
              tables.  Many  telecommunication  applications  are controlled and monitored by the
              SNMP protocol. This  connection  between  Mnesia  and  SNMP  makes  it  simple  and
              convenient to achieve this mapping.

              Argument  SnmpStruct is a list of SNMP information. Currently, the only information
              needed is information about the key types in the table.  Multiple  keys  cannot  be
              handled  in  Mnesia,  but  many  SNMP  tables  have  multiple  keys. Therefore, the
              following convention is used: if a table has multiple keys, these  must  always  be
              stored  as  a  tuple of the keys. Information about the key types is specified as a
              tuple of atoms describing the types. The only significant type is fix_string.  This
              means that a string has a fixed size.

              For example, the following causes table person to be ordered as an SNMP table:

              mnesia:snmp_open_table(person, [{key, string}])

              Consider  the  following  schema for a table of company employees. Each employee is
              identified by department number  and  name.  The  other  table  column  stores  the
              telephone number:

              mnesia:create_table(employee,
                  [{snmp, [{key, {integer, string}}]},
                   {attributes, record_info(fields, employees)}]),

              The corresponding SNMP table would have three columns: department, name, and telno.

              An  option is to have table columns that are not visible through the SNMP protocol.
              These columns must be the last columns of the table. In the previous  example,  the
              SNMP  table could have columns department and name only. The application could then
              use column telno internally, but it would not be visible to the SNMP managers.

              In a table monitored by SNMP, all elements must be integers, strings, or  lists  of
              integers.

              When a table is SNMP ordered, modifications are more expensive than usual, O(logN).
              Also, more memory is used.

              Notice that only the lexicographical SNMP ordering is implemented  in  Mnesia,  not
              the actual SNMP monitoring.

       start() -> ok | {error, Reason}

              Mnesia  startup  is asynchronous. The function call mnesia:start() returns the atom
              ok and then starts to initialize the different tables. Depending on the size of the
              database, this can take some time, and the application programmer must wait for the
              tables that the application needs before they can be  used.  This  is  achieved  by
              using the function mnesia:wait_for_tables/2.

              The  startup procedure for a set of Mnesia nodes is a fairly complicated operation.
              A Mnesia system consists of a set of nodes, with  Mnesia  started  locally  on  all
              participating nodes. Normally, each node has a directory where all the Mnesia files
              are written. This directory is referred to as the Mnesia directory. Mnesia can also
              be  started  on  disc-less  nodes.  For more information about disc-less nodes, see
              mnesia:create_schema/1 and the User's Guide.

              The set of nodes that makes up a Mnesia system is kept in a  schema.  Mnesia  nodes
              can  be added to or removed from the schema. The initial schema is normally created
              on disc with the  function  mnesia:create_schema/1.  On  disc-less  nodes,  a  tiny
              default  schema  is  generated  each  time  Mnesia  is  started. During the startup
              procedure, Mnesia exchanges schema information between the nodes to verify that the
              table definitions are compatible.

              Each  schema  has  a  unique  cookie,  which  can  be  regarded  as a unique schema
              identifier. The cookie must be the same on all nodes where Mnesia  is  supposed  to
              run. For details, see the User's Guide.

              The  schema  file  and  all  other  files  that Mnesia needs are kept in the Mnesia
              directory. The command-line option -mnesia dir Dir  can  be  used  to  specify  the
              location  of this directory to the Mnesia system. If no such command-line option is
              found, the name of the directory defaults to Mnesia.Node.

              application:start(mnesia) can also be used.

       stop() -> stopped

              Stops Mnesia locally on the current node.

              application:stop(mnesia) can also be used.

       subscribe(EventCategory) -> {ok, Node} | {error, Reason}

              Ensures that a copy of all events of type EventCategory is sent to the caller.  The
              available event types are described in the User's Guide.

       sync_dirty(Fun, [, Args]) -> ResultOfFun | exit(Reason)

              Calls  the  Fun  in  a  context  that is not protected by a transaction. The Mnesia
              function calls  performed  in  the  Fun  are  mapped  to  the  corresponding  dirty
              functions.  It  is  performed in almost the same context as mnesia:async_dirty/1,2.
              The difference is that the operations are performed synchronously. The caller waits
              for  the updates to be performed on all active replicas before the Fun returns. For
              details, see mnesia:activity/4 and the User's Guide.

       sync_log() -> ok | {error, Reason}

              Ensures that the local transaction log file is synced to disk.  On  a  single  node
              system,  data  written to disk tables since the last dump can be lost if there is a
              power outage. See dump_log/0.

       sync_transaction(Fun, [[, Args], Retries]) -> {aborted, Reason} | {atomic, ResultOfFun}

              Waits until data have been committed and logged to disk (if disk is used) on  every
              involved     node     before     it    returns,    otherwise    it    behaves    as
              mnesia:transaction/[1,2,3].

              This functionality can be used to avoid that one process overloads  a  database  on
              another node.

       system_info(InfoKey) -> Info | exit({aborted, Reason})

              Returns  information  about  the  Mnesia  system,  such  as transaction statistics,
              db_nodes, and configuration parameters. The valid keys are as follows:

                * all. Returns a list  of  all  local  system  information.  Each  element  is  a
                  {InfoKey, InfoVal} tuple.

                  New  InfoKeys can be added and old undocumented InfoKeys can be removed without
                  notice.

                * access_module. Returns the name of module that is configured to be the activity
                  access callback module.

                * auto_repair. Returns true or false to indicate if Mnesia is configured to start
                  the auto-repair facility on corrupted disc files.

                * backup_module. Returns the name of the module that  is  configured  to  be  the
                  backup callback module.

                * checkpoints. Returns a list of the names of the checkpoints currently active on
                  this node.

                * event_module. Returns the name of the module that is the event handler callback
                  module.

                * db_nodes.  Returns  the  nodes  that make up the persistent database. Disc-less
                  nodes are only included in the list of nodes if they explicitly have been added
                  to  the  schema, for example, with mnesia:add_table_copy/3. The function can be
                  started even if Mnesia is not yet running.

                * debug. Returns the current debug level of Mnesia.

                * directory. Returns the name of the Mnesia directory. It can be called  even  if
                  Mnesia is not yet running.

                * dump_log_load_regulation.  Returns a boolean that tells if Mnesia is configured
                  to regulate the dumper process load.

                  This feature is temporary and will be removed in future releases.

                * dump_log_time_threshold. Returns the time threshold for transaction  log  dumps
                  in milliseconds.

                * dump_log_update_in_place.  Returns a boolean that tells if Mnesia is configured
                  to perform the updates in the Dets files directly, or if the updates are to  be
                  performed in a copy of the Dets files.

                * dump_log_write_threshold. Returns the write threshold for transaction log dumps
                  as the number of writes to the transaction log.

                * extra_db_nodes. Returns a list of extra db_nodes to be contacted at startup.

                * fallback_activated. Returns true if a fallback is activated, otherwise false.

                * held_locks. Returns a list of all locks held by the local Mnesia lock manager.

                * is_running. Returns yes or no to indicate if Mnesia is  running.  It  can  also
                  return starting or stopping. Can be called even if Mnesia is not yet running.

                * local_tables.  Returns  a  list  of  all  tables  that are configured to reside
                  locally.

                * lock_queue. Returns a list of all transactions that are queued for execution by
                  the local lock manager.

                * log_version. Returns the version number of the Mnesia transaction log format.

                * master_node_tables. Returns a list of all tables with at least one master node.

                * protocol_version.  Returns  the  version  number  of  the  Mnesia inter-process
                  communication protocol.

                * running_db_nodes. Returns a list of nodes where Mnesia  currently  is  running.
                  This  function can be called even if Mnesia is not yet running, but it then has
                  slightly different semantics.

                  If Mnesia is down on the local node, the function returns those other  db_nodes
                  and extra_db_nodes that for the moment are operational.

                  If Mnesia is started, the function returns those nodes that Mnesia on the local
                  node is fully connected to. Only those nodes that Mnesia has  exchanged  schema
                  information  with are included as running_db_nodes. After the merge of schemas,
                  the local Mnesia system is fully operable and applications can  perform  access
                  of  remote  replicas.  Before  the  schema merge, Mnesia only operates locally.
                  Sometimes there are more nodes included in the running_db_nodes list  than  all
                  db_nodes and extra_db_nodes together.

                * schema_location. Returns the initial schema location.

                * subscribers.  Returns a list of local processes currently subscribing to system
                  events.

                * tables. Returns a list of all locally known tables.

                * transactions. Returns a list of all currently active local transactions.

                * transaction_failures. Returns a number that  indicates  how  many  transactions
                  have failed since Mnesia was started.

                * transaction_commits. Returns a number that indicates how many transactions have
                  terminated successfully since Mnesia was started.

                * transaction_restarts. Returns a number that  indicates  how  many  transactions
                  have been restarted since Mnesia was started.

                * transaction_log_writes.   Returns  a  number  that  indicates  how  many  write
                  operations that have been performed to the transaction log since startup.

                * use_dir. Returns a boolean that indicates if the Mnesia directory  is  used  or
                  not. Can be started even if Mnesia is not yet running.

                * version. Returns the current version number of Mnesia.

       table(Tab [,[Option]]) -> QueryHandle

              Returns  a  Query  List  Comprehension (QLC) query handle, see the qlc(3erl) manual
              page in STDLIB. The module qlc implements a query  language  that  can  use  Mnesia
              tables as sources of data. Calling mnesia:table/1,2 is the means to make the mnesia
              table Tab usable to QLC.

              Option can contain Mnesia options or QLC options. Mnesia recognizes  the  following
              options (any other option is forwarded to QLC).

                * {lock, Lock}, where lock can be read or write. Default is read.

                * {n_objects,Number},  where  n_objects specifies (roughly) the number of objects
                  returned from Mnesia to QLC. Queries to remote tables can need a  larger  chunk
                  to reduce network overhead. By default, 100 objects at a time are returned.

                * {traverse,  SelectMethod}, where traverse determines the method to traverse the
                  whole table (if needed). The default method is select.

              There are two alternatives for select:

                * select. The table is traversed by calling mnesia:select/4 and  mnesia:select/1.
                  The  match specification (the second argument of select/3) is assembled by QLC:
                  simple filters  are  translated  into  equivalent  match  specifications.  More
                  complicated  filters  need  to  be  applied to all objects returned by select/3
                  given a match specification that matches all objects.

                * {select,  MatchSpec}.  As  for  select,  the  table  is  traversed  by  calling
                  mnesia:select/3   and   mnesia:select/1.  The  difference  is  that  the  match
                  specification is explicitly given. This is how to  state  match  specifications
                  that cannot easily be expressed within the syntax provided by QLC.

       table_info(Tab, InfoKey) -> Info | exit({aborted, Reason})

              The  table_info/2  function  takes two arguments. The first is the name of a Mnesia
              table. The second is one of the following keys:

                * all. Returns a list of all local table information. Each element is a {InfoKey,
                  ItemVal} tuple.

                  New  InfoItems  can  be  added  and  old  undocumented InfoItems can be removed
                  without notice.

                * access_mode. Returns the access mode of the  table.  The  access  mode  can  be
                  read_only or read_write.

                * arity. Returns the arity of records in the table as specified in the schema.

                * attributes. Returns the table attribute names that are specified in the schema.

                * checkpoints.  Returns  the  names  of  the  currently active checkpoints, which
                  involve this table on this node.

                * cookie. Returns a table cookie, which is a unique  system-generated  identifier
                  for the table. The cookie is used internally to ensure that two different table
                  definitions using the same table name cannot accidentally  be  intermixed.  The
                  cookie is generated when the table is created initially.

                * disc_copies. Returns the nodes where a disc_copy of the table resides according
                  to the schema.

                * disc_only_copies. Returns the nodes where a disc_only_copy of the table resides
                  according to the schema.

                * index. Returns the list of index position integers for the table.

                * load_node.  Returns the name of the node that Mnesia loaded the table from. The
                  structure of the returned value is unspecified, but can be useful for debugging
                  purposes.

                * load_order.  Returns the load order priority of the table. It is an integer and
                  defaults to 0 (zero).

                * load_reason. Returns the reason of why Mnesia decided to load  the  table.  The
                  structure of the returned value is unspecified, but can be useful for debugging
                  purposes.

                * local_content. Returns true or false to indicate if the table is configured  to
                  have locally unique content on each node.

                * master_nodes. Returns the master nodes of a table.

                * memory. Returns the number of words allocated to the table on this node.

                * ram_copies.  Returns  the nodes where a ram_copy of the table resides according
                  to the schema.

                * record_name. Returns the record name, common for all records in the table.

                * size. Returns the number of records inserted in the table.

                * snmp. Returns the SNMP struct. [] means that the table currently  has  no  SNMP
                  properties.

                * storage_type.  Returns  the  local  storage  type  of  the  table.  It  can  be
                  disc_copies, ram_copies, disc_only_copies, or  the  atom  unknown.  unknown  is
                  returned for all tables that only reside remotely.

                * subscribers.  Returns  a list of local processes currently subscribing to local
                  table events that involve this table on this node.

                * type. Returns the table type, which is bag, set, or ordered_set.

                * user_properties. Returns the user-associated table properties of the table.  It
                  is a list of the stored property records.

                * version. Returns the current version of the table definition. The table version
                  is incremented when the table definition is changed. The table  definition  can
                  be  incremented  directly  when it has been changed in a schema transaction, or
                  when a committed table definition is merged with table definitions  from  other
                  nodes during startup.

                * where_to_read.  Returns  the node where the table can be read. If value nowhere
                  is returned, either the table is not loaded or it resides at a remote node that
                  is not running.

                * where_to_write.  Returns  a  list  of  the  nodes that currently hold an active
                  replica of the table.

                * wild_pattern. Returns a structure that  can  be  given  to  the  various  match
                  functions  for  a certain table. A record tuple is where all record fields have
                  value '_'.

       transaction(Fun [[, Args], Retries]) -> {aborted, Reason} | {atomic, ResultOfFun}

              Executes the functional object Fun with arguments Args as a transaction.

              The code that executes inside the transaction can consist  of  a  series  of  table
              manipulation  functions. If something goes wrong inside the transaction as a result
              of a user error or a certain table not being available, the entire  transaction  is
              terminated and the function transaction/1 returns the tuple {aborted, Reason}.

              If  all  is going well, {atomic, ResultOfFun} is returned, where ResultOfFun is the
              value of the last expression in Fun.

              A function that adds a family to the database can be written as follows if there is
              a structure {family, Father, Mother, ChildrenList}:

              add_family({family, F, M, Children}) ->
                  ChildOids = lists:map(fun oid/1, Children),
                  Trans = fun() ->
                      mnesia:write(F#person{children = ChildOids},
                      mnesia:write(M#person{children = ChildOids},
                      Write = fun(Child) -> mnesia:write(Child) end,
                      lists:foreach(Write, Children)
                  end,
                  mnesia:transaction(Trans).

              oid(Rec) -> {element(1, Rec), element(2, Rec)}.

              This  code  adds  a  set  of  people  to the database. Running this code within one
              transaction ensures that either the whole family is added to the database,  or  the
              whole transaction terminates. For example, if the last child is badly formatted, or
              the executing process terminates because of an 'EXIT' signal  while  executing  the
              family code, the transaction terminates. Thus, the situation where half a family is
              added can never occur.

              It is also useful to update the database within a transaction if several  processes
              concurrently  update  the  same  records.  For  example,  the  function raise(Name,
              Amount), which adds Amount to the salary field of a person, is to be implemented as
              follows:

              raise(Name, Amount) ->
                  mnesia:transaction(fun() ->
                      case mnesia:wread({person, Name}) of
                          [P] ->
                              Salary = Amount + P#person.salary,
                              P2 = P#person{salary = Salary},
                              mnesia:write(P2);
                          _ ->
                              mnesia:abort("No such person")
                      end
                  end).

              When  this  function  executes  within  a transaction, several processes running on
              different nodes can concurrently execute the function raise/2  without  interfering
              with each other.

              Since Mnesia detects deadlocks, a transaction can be restarted any number of times.
              This function attempts a restart as  specified  in  Retries.  Retries  must  be  an
              integer greater than 0 or the atom infinity. Default is infinity.

       transform_table(Tab, Fun, NewAttributeList, NewRecordName) -> {aborted, R} | {atomic, ok}

              Applies  argument  Fun  to all records in the table. Fun is a function that takes a
              record of the old type and returns a transformed record of the new  type.  Argument
              Fun  can  also be the atom ignore, which indicates that only the metadata about the
              table is updated. Use of ignore is not recommended, but included as  a  possibility
              for the user do to an own transformation.

              NewAttributeList  and  NewRecordName specify the attributes and the new record type
              of the converted table. Table name always  remains  unchanged.  If  record_name  is
              changed,  only  the  Mnesia functions that use table identifiers work, for example,
              mnesia:write/3 works, but not mnesia:write/1.

       transform_table(Tab, Fun, NewAttributeList) -> {aborted, R} | {atomic, ok}

              Calls mnesia:transform_table(Tab, Fun, NewAttributeList, RecName), where RecName is
              mnesia:table_info(Tab, record_name).

       traverse_backup(Source,  [SourceMod,]  Target,  [TargetMod,]  Fun, Acc) -> {ok, LastAcc} |
       {error, Reason}

              Iterates over a backup, either to transform it into a new backup, or read  it.  The
              arguments are explained briefly here. For details, see the User's Guide.

                * SourceMod  and  TargetMod are the names of the modules that actually access the
                  backup media.

                * Source and Target are opaque data used exclusively  by  modules  SourceMod  and
                  TargetMod to initialize the backup media.

                * Acc is an initial accumulator value.

                * Fun(BackupItems,  Acc)  is  applied  to  each  item in the backup. The Fun must
                  return a tuple {BackupItems,NewAcc}, where  BackupItems  is  a  list  of  valid
                  backup  items, and NewAcc is a new accumulator value. The returned backup items
                  are written in the target backup.

                * LastAcc is the last accumulator value. This is the last NewAcc value  that  was
                  returned by Fun.

       uninstall_fallback() -> ok | {error,Reason}

              Calls the function mnesia:uninstall_fallback([{scope, global}]).

       uninstall_fallback(Args) -> ok | {error,Reason}

              Deinstalls  a  fallback  before  it  has been used to restore the database. This is
              normally a distributed operation that is either performed on all  nodes  with  disc
              resident  schema,  or  none.  Uninstallation  of  fallbacks  requires  Erlang to be
              operational on all involved nodes, but it does not matter if Mnesia is  running  or
              not.  Which nodes that are considered as disc-resident nodes is determined from the
              schema information in the local fallback.

              Args is a list of the following tuples:

                * {module, BackupMod}. For semantics, see mnesia:install_fallback/2.

                * {scope, Scope}. For semantics, see mnesia:install_fallback/2.

                * {mnesia_dir, AlternateDir}. For semantics, see mnesia:install_fallback/2.

       unsubscribe(EventCategory) -> {ok, Node} | {error, Reason}

              Stops sending events of type EventCategory to the caller.

              Node is the local node.

       wait_for_tables(TabList, Timeout) -> ok | {timeout, BadTabList} | {error, Reason}

              Some applications need to wait for certain tables to be  accessible  to  do  useful
              work.  mnesia:wait_for_tables/2  either  hangs  until  all  tables  in  TabList are
              accessible, or until timeout is reached.

       wread({Tab, Key}) -> transaction abort | RecordList

              Calls the function mnesia:read(Tab, Key, write).

       write(Record) -> transaction abort | ok

              Calls the function  mnesia:write(Tab,  Record,  write),  where  Tab  is  element(1,
              Record).

       write(Tab, Record, LockKind) -> transaction abort | ok

              Writes record Record to table Tab.

              The  function  returns  ok,  or  terminates  if  an  error occurs. For example, the
              transaction terminates if no person table exists.

              The  semantics  of  this  function   is   context-sensitive.   For   details,   see
              mnesia:activity/4. In transaction-context, it acquires a lock of type LockKind. The
              lock types write and sticky_write are supported.

       write_lock_table(Tab) -> ok | transaction abort

              Calls the function mnesia:lock({table, Tab}, write).

CONFIGURATION PARAMETERS

       Mnesia reads the following application configuration parameters:

         * -mnesia access_module Module. The name of the Mnesia activity access callback  module.
           Default is mnesia.

         * -mnesia  auto_repair true | false. This flag controls if Mnesia automatically tries to
           repair files that have not been properly closed. Default is true.

         * -mnesia backup_module Module. The name of the Mnesia backup callback  module.  Default
           is mnesia_backup.

         * -mnesia  debug  Level.  Controls the debug level of Mnesia. The possible values are as
           follows:

           none:
             No trace outputs. This is the default.

           verbose:
             Activates tracing of important debug events.  These  events  generate  {mnesia_info,
             Format,   Args}  system  events.  Processes  can  subscribe  to  these  events  with
             mnesia:subscribe/1. The events are always sent to the Mnesia event handler.

           debug:
             Activates all events at the verbose level plus full trace of all debug events. These
             debug  events  generate  {mnesia_info,  Format,  Args}  system events. Processes can
             subscribe to these events with mnesia:subscribe/1. The events are always sent to the
             Mnesia  event  handler.  On  this  debug  level,  the  Mnesia  event  handler starts
             subscribing to updates in the schema table.

           trace:
             Activates all events at the debug level. On this level,  the  Mnesia  event  handler
             starts  subscribing to updates on all Mnesia tables. This level is intended only for
             debugging small toy systems, as many large events can be generated.

           false:
             An alias for none.

           true:
             An alias for debug.

         * -mnesia core_dir Directory. The name of the  directory  where  Mnesia  core  files  is
           stored,  or false. Setting it implies that also RAM-only nodes generate a core file if
           a crash occurs.

         * -mnesia dc_dump_limit Number. Controls how often disc_copies tables  are  dumped  from
           memory.  Tables  are  dumped when filesize(Log) > (filesize(Tab)/Dc_dump_limit). Lower
           values reduce CPU overhead but increase disk space and startup times. Default is 4.

         * -mnesia dir Directory. The name of the directory where all Mnesia data is stored.  The
           directory name must be unique for the current node. Two nodes must never share the the
           same Mnesia directory. The results are unpredictable.

         * -mnesia dump_disc_copies_at_startup true | false. If set to false, this  disables  the
           dumping  of  disc_copies  tables  during  startup  while  tables are being loaded. The
           default is true.

         * -mnesia dump_log_load_regulation true |  false.  Controls  if  log  dumps  are  to  be
           performed  as  fast  as  possible,  or if the dumper is to do its own load regulation.
           Default is false.

           This feature is temporary and will be removed in a future release

         * -mnesia dump_log_update_in_place true | false. Controls if log dumps are performed  on
           a copy of the original data file, or if the log dump is performed on the original data
           file. Default is true

         *

           -mnesia dump_log_write_threshold Max. Max is an integer  that  specifies  the  maximum
           number  of  writes  allowed  to  the  transaction  log before a new dump of the log is
           performed. Default is 100 log writes.

         *

           -mnesia dump_log_time_threshold Max. Max is an integer that  specifies  the  dump  log
           interval  in  milliseconds.  Default  is  3  minutes. If a dump has not been performed
           within dump_log_time_threshold milliseconds, a new dump is performed regardless of the
           number of writes performed.

         * -mnesia  event_module  Module.  The  name of the Mnesia event handler callback module.
           Default is mnesia_event.

         * -mnesia extra_db_nodes Nodes specifies a list of nodes, in addition to the ones  found
           in  the  schema,  with which Mnesia is also to establish contact. Default is [] (empty
           list).

         * -mnesia fallback_error_function  {UserModule,  UserFunc}.  Specifies  a  user-supplied
           callback  function, which is called if a fallback is installed and Mnesia goes down on
           another node. Mnesia calls the function with one argument, the name of the dying node,
           for  example,  UserModule:UserFunc(DyingNode). Mnesia must be restarted, otherwise the
           database can be inconsistent. The default behavior is to terminate Mnesia.

         * -mnesia max_wait_for_decision Timeout. Specifies how long Mnesia waits for other nodes
           to  share  their  knowledge  about  the outcome of an unclear transaction. By default,
           Timeout is set to the atom infinity. This implies that if Mnesia upon startup  detects
           a  "heavyweight  transaction"  whose  outcome is unclear, the local Mnesia waits until
           Mnesia is started on some (in the worst  case  all)  of  the  other  nodes  that  were
           involved  in  the interrupted transaction. This is a rare situation, but if it occurs,
           Mnesia does not guess  if  the  transaction  on  the  other  nodes  was  committed  or
           terminated. Mnesia waits until it knows the outcome and then acts accordingly.

           If  Timeout  is  set  to  an integer value in milliseconds, Mnesia forces "heavyweight
           transactions" to be finished, even if the outcome of the transaction for the moment is
           unclear.  After Timeout milliseconds, Mnesia commits or terminates the transaction and
           continues with the startup. This can lead to a  situation  where  the  transaction  is
           committed  on some nodes and terminated on other nodes. If the transaction is a schema
           transaction, the inconsistency can be fatal.

         * -mnesia no_table_loaders NUMBER. Specifies the number of parallel table loaders during
           start.  More  loaders  can  be  good  if the network latency is high or if many tables
           contain few records. Default is 2.

         * -mnesia send_compressed Level. Specifies the level of  compression  to  be  used  when
           copying a table from the local node to another one. Default is 0.

           Level  must  be  an integer in the interval [0, 9], where 0 means no compression and 9
           means maximum compression. Before setting it to a  non-zero  value,  ensure  that  the
           remote nodes understand this configuration.

         * -mnesia schema_location Loc. Controls where Mnesia looks for its schema. Parameter Loc
           can be one of the following atoms:

           disc:
             Mandatory disc. The schema is assumed to be located in the Mnesia directory. If  the
             schema cannot be found, Mnesia refuses to start. This is the old behavior.

           ram:
             Mandatory  RAM.  The  schema  resides  in RAM only. At startup, a tiny new schema is
             generated. This default schema only contains the definition of the schema table  and
             only  resides  on  the  local  node.  Since  no other nodes are found in the default
             schema, configuration parameter extra_db_nodes must be used to let  the  node  share
             its table definitions with other nodes.

             Parameter extra_db_nodes can also be used on disc based nodes.

           opt_disc:
             Optional  disc.  The  schema can reside on disc or in RAM. If the schema is found on
             disc, Mnesia starts as a disc-based node and the storage type of the schema table is
             disc_copies.  If  no  schema is found on disc, Mnesia starts as a disc-less node and
             the storage  type  of  the  schema  table  is  ram_copies.  Default  value  for  the
             application parameter is opt_disc.

       First,  the  SASL  application  parameters  are  checked,  then the command-line flags are
       checked, and finally, the default value is chosen.

SEE ALSO

       application(3erl), dets(3erl), disk_log(3erl), ets(3erl), mnesia_registry(3erl), qlc(3erl)