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FileMaker Pro format

You can import from and export to files in FileMaker Pro format.

Importing from a FileMaker Pro file

•	When you import data from another FileMaker Pro file, you can import data from one table in the source file into one table in the target file.

•	If the source FileMaker Pro file contains multiple tables, you can only import data from a single table at a time. During the import process, choose which table in the file that you want to import. Repeat the import process for each table that you want to import.

•	To import related data, import data directly from the related table.

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To import only a portion of the records in a FileMaker Pro file, open the file and perform a find so that the found set in the current window contains only the records you want to import. (For more information, see Finding records.) FileMaker Pro determines the found set to import from the foreground window in the file. If you import records from a closed file or an open file that is not displaying any windows, FileMaker Pro imports all the records, regardless of any found set.

•	To import a FileMaker Pro file created with a previous version, convert the file to the current format first. For more information, see Opening files with foreign system formats and the conversion information in the FileMaker Pro User’s Guide.

Exporting to a FileMaker Pro file

•	When you export data to a FileMaker Pro file, a new FileMaker Pro file is created containing the data you export.

•	You can export records from a single table at a time.

•	If there are tables related to the source table that you’re exporting, you can also export fields from those related tables. However, the data you export creates only a single table in the exported file.

•	To export only a portion of the records from the source FileMaker Pro file, perform a find first. Only the records in the found set will be exported. For more information, see Finding records.

•	FileMaker Pro exports field names and field types to the exported file.

•	Both Merge and FileMaker Pro formats include field names. However, the application into which the data will be imported must support the format you choose. Some applications will strip out the field names when importing the exported data.

•	The exported file contains a single Standard Form layout.

•	Any global fields that you export are no longer global fields in the exported file. Instead, each exported global field becomes a non-global field that repeats the global field value in each exported record. If you wish, you can change the field to a global field in the exported file.

Note  To create a new file that contains the data, layouts, scripts, and other elements of the source file, you may want to copy the file instead of exporting data. Then you can open the copied file and make any changes you want to make, such as removing certain data. For more information, see Saving and copying files.