Official definitions of "hack" categories.

[Wayne Luke]

Originally Posted by Christine

I don't believe dB changes affect vB support like modifying files, but I could be very wrong on that. Erwin?

Adding to the dB can be tricky to classify as adding tables are not (IMO) the same issue as adding to tables, but my preference would be to put dB mods with the plugins and not in with code changes.

As adding to the database will not affect the working of the default PHP scripts, it will not invalidate support. Adding to the database though often requires modifying one or more PHP scripts which would invalidate support. If those modifications are accessed through plugins, then support would be active. Please note, that unless you provide an unique identifier to your table or field names, it can prevent future upgrades as the developers will not take these modifications into account when adding features or optimizing the database schema as needed. In order to receive support, you will need the default files for vBulletin uploaded.

Purposefully, removing fields or tables from the default installation can and probably will invalidate support.