User manual

166 | Sharing and exchanging data
About adding records
When you add records, you import all records from the source file to the target
file or table. A new record is created in the target file for each importable record
in the source file.
About updating existing records
With this option, you replace data in your file with data from the source file.
For each field you import into, data from the first importable record (or row of
data) in the source file overwrites fields in the first record in the target file. Data
from the second importable record (or row of data) in the source file overwrites
fields in the second record in the target file, and so on. When you replace data,
FileMaker
Pro doesn’t examine or compare the data in the files.
You can choose whether to replace or not replace data on a field-by-field basis.
Records in the target file are replaced with the same number of records from
the source file. If there are more importable records in the source file, data from
the extra records in the source file will not be imported unless you also choose
Add remaining data as new records. If there are more records in the target file,
data in the extra records in the target file will not be replaced.
About updating matching records
You can update matching records and fields in your target file with data from
another file. For example, you might have a copy of a database on your desktop
computer and another copy on your laptop computer. You can update the file
in your office with the changes you make on the road.
You determine which records in the source file update which records in the
target file by choosing one or more match fields in each file. If data in the match
field(s) of a record in the target file matches data in the match field(s) of a
record in the source file, the record in the target file will be updated with data
from the source file.
Match fields must uniquely identify each entity in your database. For example,
in a database of people, you could use one match field such as Employee
Number, or multiple match fields such as Last Name, First Name, and Phone
Number. Using Last Name alone might identify more than one person, so it isn’t
a good match field to use by itself.
φμπ10_υσερσ_γυιδε.βοοκ Παγε 166 Μονδαψ, Αυγυστ 25, 2008 3:59 ΠΜ