Cross Database Connection with Active Record - ruby-on-rails

Question

I have two websites that each connect to their own unique databases. I need to validate in website 'A' that an email address exists in the website 'B' database. I'm doing the validation as follows:
Called from website 'A's AccountController < ApplicationController class:
config = YAML::load(File.open("#{RAILS_ROOT}/config/database.yml"))
ActiveRecord::Base.establish_connection(config["database B"])
if ActiveRecord::Base.connection.select_values("SELECT "database B".X
FROM 'database B".X WHERE 'database B'.X.email = #member_email")
This call works when I test it in my development and QA environments but fails in my production environment. What appears to happen in production is that the value of the ActiveRecord and also the select get's co-mingled with currently logged-in user's active records, but only in production.
Okay so I've modified my files to the following, based on the feedback. Still not working... Could someone please review the files below and see what step(s) I'm missing? Thanks!
Thanks! I think that is what I did, but I created the 'model', and, being a newbie, I'm not sure if that would normally be generated by Rails...
Still failing, would you mind taking a look at the following and see if you see what I'm doing wrong?
First, this is the 'legacy' database model for the second database that I want to connect to in the existing application (Note that doing the 'Fileload' was the only way I could get this to not error out.):
class MMSDB < ActiveRecord::Base
self.abstract_class = true #important!
config = YAML::load(File.open("#{RAILS_ROOT}/config/database.yml"))
establish_connection(config["deals_qa"])
end
Second, this is the model that calls the 'MMSDB' Model (see above)
class Redirect < MMSDB
def initialize
end
Checking to see if the email address exists in the legacy database, and, if it does, the #increment the redirect count on the # database table 'members'
Do I somehow need to tell the application what table I want to pull from since the table # in the legacy database (members) would be different then in the current application #database (users)
def email_exists?(email)
if find_by_email(email)
user = find_by_email(email)
user.redirect_count += 1
user.save
end
end
end
Then this is the code snippet inside the account controller file.
else
if user == Redirect::User.email_exists?(#email)
#Redirect_Flag = true
else
flash.now[:error] = 'Invalid email or password; please try again.'
end
end

Answer 1

Subclassing ActiveRecord::Base will allow you to make multiple connections to different databases.
module DatabaseB
class Base < ActiveRecord::Base
#abstract_class = true
establish_connection(config["database B"])
end
end
class YourAwesomeModel < DatabaseB::Base
set_table_name "X"
# Use your regular active record magic
end
You will still be able to use your other models with the connection established using ActiveRecord::Base to your primary database.