Setting the import action and mapping fields during import
• Import action: Specify how to import the data into the existing file. You can add new records to the file, update existing records in the file, or update matching records in the file. See Methods of importing data into an existing file.
• Field mapping: Specify where to import the data by mapping the fields in your database to the fields in the source data that you’re importing.Follow the instructions in Importing data into an existing file, Importing a folder of files all at once, Importing Bento data (OS X), or Importing XML data. You will see the Import Field Mapping dialog box.
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3. In the Import Action area, choose the type of import to perform.Important Updating existing or matching records overwrites data in the target file and cannot be undone. Choose File menu > Save a Copy As to make a backup copy of the target file. Make sure you understand how updating records works. See Methods of importing data into an existing file.
Note If the table you’re importing into contains no data, you can only select Add new records; the other options described below are not available because there is no data to update. To also add any additional records in the source as new records in the target file, select Add remaining data as new records. To also add records from the source that do not have matching records in the target file, select Add remaining data as new records.
4. If the first record of the data you’re importing contains field names (column headings) instead of data, select Don’t import first record (contains field names).Selecting Don’t import first record (contains field names) skips the first record during import.
5. For Target Fields, drag fields to align with fields or data in Source Fields, to indicate where source data will be imported or updated.
• To create or change fields in the table you're importing into, click Manage Database. In the Manage Database dialog box, make your changes, then click OK. (If the Manage Database button is dimmed, either you don't have sufficient access privileges, or the database is shared over a network and does not currently permit database changes. For more information about changing shared databases, see Sharing and hosting files.)
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Continue clicking until the symbol between the fields indicates the field mapping you want. For a description of each symbol, refer to the Field Mapping area. You can choose whether or not to import each field into the target field, or use a field pairing as a match field for updating matching records.
7. If necessary, for Character Set, choose the character encoding used in the source file.The Character Set list may be dimmed or available:
8. Click Import.
Select Perform auto-enter options while importing. Otherwise, auto-entered values will not be entered.
• Keeping them in the original record to maintain the field(s) as repeating fields.
• Splitting them into separate records to import each repeating value into a separate record. (Use this option to work with individual values in repeating fields, such as to sort or summarize them.)
Note When you split repeating field data into separate records any non-repeating fields that you import are duplicated in each separate record. For example, if a record in the source file has values in three repetitions, splitting them into separate records imports three records, each identical except for the values in the repeating fields.
Note This number will include multiple updates of the same record if you’re updating matching records and more than one record in the source file matches a record in the found set of the target file. See the Notes section in Methods of importing data into an existing file.
• Privilege errors: Access privileges prohibit modifying one or more records.
• Locked records: One or more records cannot be modified because they are being accessed elsewhere, either in another window by the same user or (if the file is shared) by other clients.
• Validation errors: One or more records cannot be modified because record-level field validation requirements are not met, and the record could not be committed. See About validating data during import.
• Validation errors: One or more fields cannot be imported because the data does not match the validation requirements defined for the field. See About validating data during import.
• Privilege errors: Access privileges prohibit modifying one or more fields.
• If you’re importing a large amount of data, you may see an Importing dialog box that shows the progress of the import process. To stop importing, click Stop. Records that were already imported remain in the target file (the import is not reversed). To permanently delete the records already imported, choose Records menu > Delete All Records.
• The records you import become the found set. After importing, check the data in the found set. Choose Records menu > Show All Records.