Re: Question regarding moving a database

This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------5F0821D6BE Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit John & Cassy Montgomery wrote: > > Informix-List wrote: > > >> A software package I support uses Informix Online as it DBMS engine. We > > >> often need to bring back customer databases to the lab to recreate and > > >> debug problems. > > > > >> Our software as it is currently written prohibits the use of dbexport > > >> and import as a way to move the database because certain type of data > > >> are lost. We have been using ontape . . . > > > > >> I was wondering if there is another way to do this? > > > > I have to guess that the "certain type of data" that "are lost" are the > > rowids, since just about everything else of value is saved by dbexport. > > > > If this guess is correct, you have just illustrated why there is the > > rule that you should NEVER join (link) tables by the rowid. > > I said I was an Informix Neophyte - not an Informix Neanderthal! :) > > Anyway, this is not my problem. The original software design embedded > some > "binary" data in some text fields. The problem is of course that > dbexport> sees the ASCII null character as the end of string character and stops > exporting data at that point. > > The design is now changed but I need to support alot of customers with > the > existing design. I am looking for alternatives to using the ontape > utility > and was wondering how onunload differs from ontape? I haven't seen anyone answer this. But then I don't trust our news service entirely. :-) ontape will archive the entire OnLine system. onunload will unload tables or databases at the page level. It insists on going to tape, and obviously outputs data in binary form. This should do the job for you. You must just bear in mind that the page size on BOTH machines must be the same. Hope that helps, -- --------------5F0821D6BE Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; name="ATT_SIG.TXT" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline; filename="ATT_SIG.TXT" Mark. +------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Mark D. Stock - The West Solutions Group http://www.west.co.za | | The Informix FAQ is at http://www.iiug.org | |mailto:marks@west.co.za +-----------------------------------------+ |Tel: +27 11 803 2151 |If it doesn't work, force it! | |Fax: +27 11 803 2189 |If it breaks, it needed replacing anyway!| |Cell: +27 83 250 2325 |Well, that's how I code anyway! | +------------------------+-----------------------------------------+ --------------5F0821D6BE--