Frequently Asked Questions (cont)

Q: How can I modify an iDB dump (a CSV file), and upload external data into iDB?

You can edit an iDB backup dump, a CSV file, append more data to it (for the purpose of migrating from other applications), and then restore it back to iDB.

There are many, many ways to edit a CSV file. Here is one way:

Suppose we want to migrate some credit card information we have available elsewhere. And supposed it is available in CSV format:
 

1. Create a new database, type: Credit Card, and name: 'My Cards':

2. Put a single record in it. It is not necessary, but it will help as a reference.

3. Get a backup dump. Suppose is named 'iDBdump20080726073848.csv'.

4. Make a copy of it: cp -i iDBdump20080726073848.csv myIdbDump.csv

5. Open myIdbDump.csv in 'Numbers' (Mac):

6. Search for the database name: 'My Cards'. It is found on row '212', column 'H'. Those 3 lines are 'My Cards' dump. The first two lines of a database dump is db-headers, from 3rd line to the first blank row is its records. The first blank row indicates the end of the dump. 2nd line of the header is the field names: 'name', 'cardno', 'expiration', 'ctype' (credit card type), 'code' (security code), 'web', etc..

7. Delete all other database sections, leaving only the one we are interested in. Now we have a single database dump. It must end with a blank row:
 

8. Assuming you have the migration data available in another CSV file, cut-and-paste and append it under 'My Cards' database as additional records. We won't explain how to do it here. But if you do not know how to cut-and-paste CSV data from another spreadsheet and how to line them up under correct field names, we strongly recommend you *NOT* to exercise this process. Perhaps someone a bit more computer-savvy should help you.

Make sure you add migrated data into correct columns. Use field names on row #2 as a reference. Make sure there is a blank row at the end.

The last column of the 'fields' row, "eol", must repeat in all following data rows. It is imperative the last field of a record to be "eol":

9. Save the file (in 'Number' you should 'export' it into CSV format. We just exported it as: myIdbDump2.csv).

DO NOT, NEVER, EVER, MODIFY THE FIRST TWO ROWS OF A DATABASE DUMP! (rows 1 and 2 above). THAT IS THE DATABASE HEADER AND MODIFYING IT IS A SURE WAY TO BREAK IDB INTERNAL STRUCTURES.
 

10. Restore from the newly created file: myIdbDump2.csv.  

If you love reading, see Uploading External Data for a detailed discussion and instructions of the same process.
 

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