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Saving, importing, and exporting data
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ILEMAKER PRO HELP 508
FileMaker Pro file or importing a folder of image files. When you import data into a global
field, the last item imported into the field from the source file determines the global field
value.
• You can only import data into a single table at a time. To import data into related fields,
import data directly into the table that contains the related field.
• If the source file is a FileMaker Pro file with multiple tables, you can only import data from a
single table at a time. To import fields from related tables, import directly from the table that
contains the field.
• To ensure that imported data is correctly formatted, you can define fields so that data is
validated as it is imported. During import, data is skipped when it does not conform to the
validation options you set. Once the import is complete, a Summary dialog reports the
number of skipped records and fields. See
Defining field validation.
• If you routinely import data from the same source, you can automate the process by setting
up
recurring imports or by creating a script that uses the Import Records script step. Data
imported via recurring import is read-only in FileMaker Pro. For more information about
recurring imports, see
Setting up recurring imports. For more information about using a
script to import records, see Creating scripts to automate tasks and Import Records script
step.
• A layout doesn’t have to display all the fields that are in the table. You can specify the fields
that you want to import to in the Import Field Mapping dialog box. See
Importing data into an
existing file.
Related topics
Querying an ODBC data source from FileMaker Pro
Methods of importing data into an existing file
There are three ways that you can import data into an existing file. You can:
• Add new records to the file
• Update existing records in the file
• Update matching records in the file
These options are available in the Import Action area of the Import Field Mapping dialog box when
you’re importing data into an existing file. Each of these options is described in detail below.
Important The import options that update existing records and update matching records both
overwrite existing data during the import process and cannot be undone. To safeguard your data,
choose File menu
> Save a Copy As to make a backup of the FileMaker Pro file before you perform
an import that updates records.
Adding records
When you add records, the import process creates a new record in the target file for each importable
record in the source file.
When you add records from most source file formats, the import process adds all the records from
the source file. If the source file is a FileMaker
Pro file, you can add only the records in the found set
and skip adding the omitted records. See
FileMaker Pro format.