What do the following headings stand for in the Golden Database file?:
RSUPP_YR
RSUPP_NUM
R_PLR_TYP
R_LPB_RAT
R_NRM_DAT
R_PLR_TYP
R_LPB_RAT
R_NRM_DAT
You don’t get a lot of space to describe things in 10 characters. 
RSUPP_YR - supplement year (ie, 2006)
RSUPP_NUM - supplement number (I think this is the same as month)
R_PLR_TYP - player type (established or provisional rating) regular rating
R_LPB_RAT - last published regular rating
R_NRM_DAT - norm data (no longer used)
R_PLR_TYP - I think this is actually Q_PLR_TYP, same as R_PLR_TYP but
for quick ratings
R_LPB_RAT (should be Q_LPB_RAT)
R_NRM_DAT (should be Q_NRM_DAT)
Note that the number of games for a provisionally rated player is missing from the golden master format. I don’t know why, it may have had something to do with how the programmer who developed this collected historical data.
Mike,
As long as we’re discussing the golden database, can I bully you on line into providing golden databases every month?
Seriously, though … is it a question of staff time to produce the golden database? It’s just so convenient to download the golden database, replace TARATSUP.DBF, index the database, and we’re good to go. (This is with SwissSys.)
Another advantage of the golden database is that it includes all USCF members, including unrated players.
That’s largely a function of staff time, but I will show Darrell how to run both the monthly supplement update and the Golden Master formats.
Long term, I want to replace both of these formats with one UNIFIED format, preferably with a date-selectable format (ie, include everyone whose rating or membership has been updated since some point in time.)
That may have to be something that is emailed on demand rather than downloadable on demand because of the time it takes to prepare the file. (Many browsers would time out waiting 3-4 minutes for the file to be ready.)