Question on .idx and .dat files
I only had worked with Informix 9.2 and 9.3 windows platform. We use
dbimport and dbexport to backup and import our data. So we backup .unl and
.sql files. Another office ask me if I was able to load some .idx files in
a test machine to see if they were able to see the data. Reading around the
internet I found out the .idx are index of tables usually .dat. My question
is what utility could I use to load those files on my Informix 9.2 or 9.3
machines ? They don't know what version of Informix the data was created
in, they only know it was on a Unix machine.
Ed
Ed,
Sounds like the data file came from an (IBM) Informix Standard
Engine from the idx and dat file descriptions.
Russell J. Clancy
Senior Database Administrator
Rotech Systems Group
1999 Aloma Ave
Winter Park FL, 32792
(321) 235-3100 x 2017
rclancy@rotech.com
-----Original Message-----
From: forum.subscriber@iiug.org [mailto:forum.subscriber@iiug.org] On Behalf
Of Gonzalez, E....
Sent: Wednesday, May 19, 2004 10:21 AM
To: ids@iiug.org
Subject: Question on .idx and .dat files [2981]
I only had worked with Informix 9.2 and 9.3 windows platform. We use
dbimport and dbexport to backup and import our data. So we backup .unl and
.sql files. Another office ask me if I was able to load some .idx files in
a test machine to see if they were able to see the data. Reading around the
internet I found out the .idx are index of tables usually .dat. My question
is what utility could I use to load those files on my Informix 9.2 or 9.3
machines ? They don't know what version of Informix the data was created
in, they only know it was on a Unix machine.
Ed
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Hi,
.dat and .idx files are not from Informix Dynamic Server (IDS) but from=
the
Informix Standard Engine (SE). Those files can't be loaded directly in=
to
your IDS instance. You'll need to unload from SE into text files and l=
oad
those files into IDS. Those SE files are C-ISAM files. SE uses those
files as its storage for relational data.
Use dbexport to get the data out of SE in a form suitable for loading =
into
IDS. See the Migration manual at
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/epubs/pdf/7887b.pdf for details.
Or, since you're using IDS 9.x, you might consider the C-ISAM datablade=
.
Cheers,
Dick Snoke
Consulting IT Specialist (certified)
404-487-1595
dsnoke@us.ibm.com
=
"Gonzalez, E...." =
<e.gonzal@radium. =
ncsc.mil> =
To
Sent by: ids@iiug.org =
forum.subscriber@ =
cc
iiug.org =
Subj=
ect
Question on .idx and .dat files =
05/19/2004 10:20 [2981] =
AM =
=
=
=
=
=
I only had worked with Informix 9.2 and 9.3 windows platform. We use
dbimport and dbexport to backup and import our data. So we backup .unl=
and
.sql files. Another office ask me if I was able to load some .idx file=
s in
a test machine to see if they were able to see the data. Reading aroun=
d
the
internet I found out the .idx are index of tables usually .dat. My
question
is what utility could I use to load those files on my Informix 9.2 or 9=
.3
machines ? They don't know what version of Informix the data was crea=
ted
in, they only know it was on a Unix machine.
Ed
=
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Content-type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII
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<html><body>
<p>Hi,<br>
<br>
.dat and .idx files are not from Informix Dynamic Server (IDS) but from=
the Informix Standard Engine (SE). Those files can't be loaded direct=
ly into your IDS instance. You'll need to unload from SE into text fil=
es and load those files into IDS. Those SE files are C-ISAM files. SE=
uses those files as its storage for relational data. <br>
<br>
Use dbexport to get the data out of SE in a form suitable for loading =
into IDS. See the Migration manual at <a href=3D"http://publib.boulder=
.ibm.com/epubs/pdf/7887b.pdf">http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/epubs/pdf/7=
887b.pdf</a> for details.<br>
<br>
Or, since you're using IDS 9.x, you might consider the C-ISAM datablade=
.<br>
<br>
Cheers,<br>
Dick Snoke<br>
Consulting IT Specialist (certified)<br>
404-487-1595<br>
dsnoke@us.ibm.com<br>
<br>
<img src=3D"cid:10__=3D0ABBE40ADFCB44A08f9e8a93df938@us.ibm.com" width=3D=
"16" height=3D"16" alt=3D"Inactive hide details for "Gonzalez, E..=
.." <e.gonzal@radium.ncsc.mil>">"Gonzalez, E...." =
<e.gonzal@radium.ncsc.mil><br>
<br>
<br>
<table width=3D"100%" border=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0">=
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th=3D"40%">
<ul>
<ul>
<ul>
<ul><b><font size=3D"2">"Gonzalez, E...." <e.gonzal@radium=
.ncsc.mil></font></b><font size=3D"2"> </font><br>
<font size=3D"2">Sent by: forum.subscriber@iiug.org</font>
<p><font size=3D"2">05/19/2004 10:20 AM</font></ul>
</ul>
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</ul>
</td><td width=3D"60%">
<table width=3D"100%" border=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0">=
<tr valign=3D"top"><td width=3D"1%" valign=3D"middle"><img src=3D"cid:3=
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<div align=3D"right"><font size=3D"2">To</font></div></td><td width=3D"=
100%"><img src=3D"cid:30__=3D0ABBE40ADFCB44A08f9e8a93df938@us.ibm.com" =
border=3D"0" height=3D"1" width=3D"1" alt=3D""><br>
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<div align=3D"right"><font size=3D"2">cc</font></div></td><td width=3D"=
100%"><img src=3D"cid:30__=3D0ABBE40ADFCB44A08f9e8a93df938@us.ibm.com" =
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<font size=3D"2">Question on .idx and .dat files [2981]</font></td></tr=
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<tt><br>
I only had worked with Informix 9.2 and 9.3 windows platform. We=
use<br>
dbimport and dbexport to backup and import our data. So we backup=
.unl and<br>
.sql files. Another office ask me if I was able to load some .idx=
files in<br>
a test machine to see if they were able to see the data. Reading =
around the<br>
internet I found out the .idx are index of tables usually .dat. M=
y question<br>
is what utility could I use to load those files on my Informix 9.2 or 9=
.3<br>
machines ? They don't know what version of Informix the dat=
a was created<br>
in, they only know it was on a Unix machine.<br>
<br>
<br>
Ed<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
</tt><
Dear Ed,
A set of .dat and .idx files would probably represent a SE (Standard
Engine) database, as opposed to IDS.
As you found out, the .idx files are the index files and the .dat files
contain the data.
To see those, you need SE -- well, that's the easiest way.
Next easiest is probably to use the C-ISAM datablade, if that's available.
If none of those are options, then you can probably think about recovering
the data from the .dat files.
If you know the schema - the set of column (names and) types, it is much
easier.
If you don't know the schema, then you have to determine the schema by
inspection.
That's a fiddly process - it requires eyeballing dumps of the data file
(hex/ASCII), etc.
There's a tool, isextract, at the IIUG which can be used once you have the
schema; it will extract the data from a .dat file.
(Note that using the C-ISAM datablade requires knowledge of the schema
too.)
--
Jonathan Leffler (jleffler@us.ibm.com)
STSM, Informix Database Engineering, IBM Data Management
4100 Bohannon Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Tel: +1 650-926-6921 Tie-Line: 630-6921
"I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it!"
forum.subscriber@iiug.org wrote on 05/19/2004 07:20:30 AM:
>
> I only had worked with Informix 9.2 and 9.3 windows platform. We use
> dbimport and dbexport to backup and import our data. So we backup .unl
and
> .sql files. Another office ask me if I was able to load some .idx files
in
> a test machine to see if they were able to see the data. Reading around
the
> internet I found out the .idx are index of tables usually .dat. My
question
> is what utility could I use to load those files on my Informix 9.2 or
9.3
> machines ? They don't know what version of Informix the data was
created
> in, they only know it was on a Unix machine.
>
>
> Ed
>
>
>
>