For Charles Y. - exporting

} } ----- Transcript of session follows ----- } 550 chip@osh1.OSHA.GOV... Host unknown Ditto for osh3. } } > } > I have a couple of questions I'm hoping someone can help me with. } > } > First, I took a look at dbexport and was wondering what it does about } > nulls when it is exporting. I figured it would probably put two } > delimiters side by side, but what about character fields. In character } > fields there can be a definite difference between a null character field } > and an empty string. I ran a test and saw that the dbexport command } > will show a null value properly (||), but with a zero length string (not } > null mind you) it pads it to a single space. } > } > The question: How the heck do I keep dbexport from altering my data? } > } > Next, the reason why I was looking into this is that a colleague told me } > that I should take the very large database I'm working with and unload } > and reload it. He said I could increase performance by doing this since } > it has been built from an empty database to about 150MB by adding a } > single record at a time, and that something to do with indexing would be } > defragged (or something like that). } > } > The question: Can an export-import cycle increase performance? } } If you're worried about it - correct fragging w/o exporting. } } 1 - data - rename the table to something else. re-create the table } as virgin - if you are using ONLINE then be sure to set NEXT EXTENT } info. Then INSERT INTO real_table SELECT * FROM old_table. This will } preserve your data - keep you away from dbexport and probably be faster. } It will also clean up any fragmentation. } } NOW create all of your indices on the new table. Indices and data are } now de-fragged. } } j. _____________________________________________________________________________ Jack Parker - Contractor | Hewlett Packard, BSMC Boise, Idaho, USA| If you keep staring at it like that, jparker@hpbs2561.boi.hp.com | your nose is going to grow (208) 396-5388 (W) (208) 384-1623 (H) | into the bark. _____________________________________________________________________________