Data Import and Export
DC supports import and export of data in EntitySets and relationships with fields to/from comma delimited files. These functions are accessed from the Import and Export menu items in DC’s Tools menu.
Export of data can be sent to an existing document or a new document can be created to hold the result. The exported data has an optional header record that defines the file format in more detail.
Import of data detects if the source file has a header and automatically uses the indicated format parameters if the header is found.
Data Export
In the Data Export dialog, you should first select the name of the table from which you wish to export data. Select the directory name and table name from the lists provided. By default, the entire table is exported but you can select a subset of the data (using Filter Data) and you can sort the data (using Sort Data). The target for the export can be an existing document or DC can create a document for you. If you select an existing document, you should specify the document’s directory and name. If you select a new document, you should specify a filename for the document. DC erases the document (but not the file, of course) after the export operation. Finally, you should specify various export options such as delimiters (to be used between fields and around strings), a string to represent $NULL, if you want a header in the output file, and if you wish to append the exported data to the end of the file.
To initiate the export, select the OK button.
Data Import
In the Data Import dialog, you should first select the name of the file from which you are importing. If you are unsure of the name, use the Browse button. Next, select the target table. If you want to create a new entity set to hold the data, select the New Table button. Then, specify various import options such as delimiters (used between fields and around strings), the string used to represent $NULL, and if you want the imported data to be added to the table or to replace any existing data. When the import is started, DC automatically detects if the import file has a header and uses the import file characteristics defined there rather than the ones specified in the dialog. Thus, if you know the input file has a header, there is no need to specify delimiters or the string for $NULL.
To initiate the import, select the OK button.