Informix Database backup and restore help!

Hi, We are in the development mode and the database structure is changing every day or so. We are two teams, one is at client location and another team at the company's headquarter.I am working at Client's location and If there is a single change I have to send the script and test data and then other team has go through deleting the tables and creating the new one and then restoring the test data in them, it takes lot of time so I am thinking instead of sending them each individual script for tables and then the test data I can just take the replica of the current database and send the offshore team where they can attach the same database and use it. It will save a lot of time. I know in oracle and sql server we have the concept of attaching and detaching the database, where someone can detach the database, copy it and attach to another database server. I am wondering if there is anything like that in Informix? I know lot of guys must have done this kind of stuff. Please share your experience. We are using informix 11.5.

Use the dbexport utility to create an export of the database to flatfiles in a directory on disk, zip up the export directory and send that file. Your team at the other end will just unzip the archive, drop the entire database, and run dbimport to recreate the schema and load the data. Dbimport and dbexport are documented in the Migration Guide manual. Art Art S. Kagel Advanced DataTools (www.advancedatatools.com) IIUG Board of Directors (art@iiug.org) See you at the 2010 IIUG Informix Conference April 25-28, 2010 Overland Park (Kansas City), KS www.iiug.org/conf Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that my own opinions are my own opinions and do not reflect on my employer, Advanced DataTools, the IIUG, nor any other organization with which I am associated either explicitly, implicitly, or by inference. Neither do those opinions reflect those of other individuals affiliated with any entity with which I am affiliated nor those of the entities themselves. On Wed, Jan 27, 2010 at 3:58 PM, SAMEER MALHOTRA <srma.kapil@gmail.com>wrote: > Hi, > > We are in the development mode and the database structure is changing every > day or so. We are two teams, one is at client location and another team at > the > company's headquarter.I am working at Client's location and If there is a > single change I have to send the script and test data and then other team > has > go through deleting the tables and creating the new one and then restoring > the > test data in them, it takes lot of time so I am thinking instead of sending > them each individual script for tables and then the test data I can just > take > the replica of the current database and send the offshore team where they > can > attach the same database and use it. It will save a lot of time. > > I know in oracle and sql server we have the concept of attaching and > detaching > the database, where someone can detach the database, copy it and attach to > another database server. I am wondering if there is anything like that in > Informix? I know lot of guys must have done this kind of stuff. Please > share > your experience. > > We are using informix 11.5. > > > > ******************************************************************************* > Forum Note: Use "Reply" to post a response in the discussion forum. > > --0015173fe6e6c93aad047e2d5707