Installing and configuring 2 stores - is one database OK during development?

I am building two stores. When I set the values in the config files is it alright to use the same database while I develop them?

One is a new store. The other is a rebuild of my current site, so, ultimately, that store will be changed over to my existing database anyway.

It just seems easier not to have to remember a 3rd database login information.

Please let me know if you know of any reason that I should not be doing this.

Best,
Audra

Just realized that something I did may or may not be alright. I installed zen v1302, made a few changes, ftp'd the store to my local drive, renamed it, then ftp'd it back to my server for the second store.

It just dawned on me that I will need to edit the config files, reset file permissions and run the installer for this to work.

But, is it alright that my config files were already named config.php? I don't really know why they are initially named dist-configure and then have to be renamed.

Hoping I did not mess this up,
Audra

audradh:

But, is it alright that my config files were already named config.php? I don't really know why they are initially named dist-configure and then have to be renamed.
They are named dist-configure.php so that if you get overzealous and quickly upload a new set of files to your site, you at least won't wipe out your configure.php files as a result of anything we gave you.

You cannot use the same set of tables in the same database for more than one purpose at a time.

If you have a database on your server named "myshop", and your store is running from that, then you cannot also do development or upgrade testing on the same tables in that database.

If you can comprehend the concept and keep things separate, you "could" use the same "myshop" database, and use table-prefixes to separate sets of tables from each other .... myshop.live_address_book vs myshop.develop_address_book vs myshop.test_address_book etc. In these examples, live_, develop_, and test_ are the settings for DB_PREFIX that you'd set in each of your separate configure.php files for each of your separate sets of Zen Cart files you'd need for each of the three different purposes.
If this confuses you, use separate databases instead... it'll be safer for you.

Thanks! That sounds like just the sort of thing I might do one day if you hadn't prevented it, lol!

Sounds like I should just take the two minutes to setup a new database and make sure I write down the information (documentation is a habit I really need to get into anyway!)

Appreciate the help,
Audra