About Guide Database Loaders

A Guide database loader accesses available Program Guide sources, receives new data, maps data to tables and fields in the Guide database, and then loads the new data into the Guide database. Such a loader may process multiple tuning spaces. For example, a database loader for an analog network may process data for both cable and over-the-air broadcasts.

The following illustration shows the relationship between a database loader and the Guide database.

Any loader DLL that runs in the context of Broadcast Architecture should implement the following functionality:

• Sending loader event notifications
• Performing tuning space maintenance
• Processing quit events
• Implementing an entry-point function

In addition to the preceding, loader DLLs that can get data from multiple sources should support the /I:data_location command-line argument, which the Loadstub component passes to the loader. Generally, loaders use this argument for testing or similar purposes. In response to this argument, a loader DLL should override the default location of Program Guide data as specified. For more information on this argument, see Loadstub Syntax.