Moving data with external tables
You can use external tables to load and unload database data.
You issue a series of SQL statements that perform the
following functions:
- Transfer operational data efficiently to or from other systems
- Transfer data files across platforms in IBM® Informix® internal data format
- Use the database server to convert data between delimited ASCII, fixed-ASCII, and IBM Informix internal (raw) representation
- Use SQL INSERT and SELECT statements to specify the mapping of data to new columns in a database table
- Provide parallel standard INSERT operations so that data can be loaded without dropping indexes
- Use named pipes to support loading data to and unloading data from storage devices, including tape drives and direct network connections
- Maintain a record of load and unload statistics during the run
- Perform express (high-speed) and deluxe (data-checking) transfers
You can issue the SQL statements with DB-Access or embed them in an ESQL/C program.