User manual

12-2 FileMaker Pro User’s Guide
Importing data into FileMaker Pro
You can import data into an existing FileMaker Pro file from another
FileMaker Pro file, or from documents created in another application
(See “Importing data into an existing file” on page 12-2.) You can
also convert documents from another application into a new
FileMaker Pro file. (See page 12-6.)
The file or document you import records from is the source file. The
file you import records to is the destination file.
Keep these points in mind:
1 The file you’re importing or converting from must be in one of the
formats listed in “About file formats,” above.
1 To insert graphics, sounds, or QuickTime or AVI movies into your file,
see “About working with graphics, sounds, and movies” on page 2-11.
1 FileMaker Pro imports records in the order they appear in the file
you’re importing from, unless you are updating records. See “About
updating records with information from another document.”)
1 You can import data from any field type into any compatible field
except container, calculation, summary, and global fields. You can
import container fields if you’re importing from another
FileMaker Pro file.
1 You can’t import data into or from related fields. Import data
directly into or from the related file.
1 For more information about how FileMaker Pro 5 handles Year
2000 issues, see www.filemaker.com.
Importing data into an existing file
When you import into an existing file, you can add, replace, or
update data.
About adding records
When you add records, you import all records from the source file to
the destination file. If the source file is a FileMaker Pro file, you can
import just the records in a found set. You choose the fields you want
to import.
About replacing data
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 record
(or row of data) in the source file overwrites data in the first record
in the destination file. Data from the second record (or line of data)
in the source file overwrites data in the second record in the
destination file, and so on. When you replace data, FileMaker Pro
doesn’t examine or compare the data in the files.
Records in the destination file are replaced with the same number of
records from the source file. If there are more records in (the found
set of) the source file, data from the extra records in the source file
will not be imported. If there are more records in the found set of the
destination file, data in the extra records in the destination file will
not be replaced.
About updating records with information from another document
You can update records and fields in your file with data from another
file using the import update option. 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 destination file by choosing one or more match fields in each file.
If data in the match field(s) of a record in the destination file matches
data in the match field(s) of a record in the source file, the record in the
destination file will be updated with data from the source file.