User manual

Chapter 5 | Sharing data 104
ODBC and JDBC
You can exchange FileMaker Pro data with ODBC- and JDBC-compliant applications. For
example, you can chart FileMaker
Pro data in Microsoft Excel.
Methods of importing data into an existing file
When you import data into an existing file, you can:
1 add new records to an existing table
1 create a new table from imported data
1 update existing records in an existing table
1 update matching records in an existing table
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 file before you perform an import
that updates records.
The file you import records from is the source. The file you import records to is the target.
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.
What do you want to do? How do you do it? See
Use FileMaker Pro as a data
source/share FileMaker
Pro data
1. ODBC and JDBC
2. SQL queries
FileMaker ODBC and JDBC
Guide and FileMaker SQL
Reference
Use FileMaker Pro as an ODBC
client/access ODBC data
1. Interactively via the relationships graph
2. One-time, static via ODBC import (or
File menu > Open), also Import Records
script step, Execute SQL script step
“Working with external data
sources” on page 108 and Help