Export-Import

[Manfred]

Ive read the help file and tried to do this but am still not clear on how it works.

An existing file I have got too big (I assume since an error message pops up) so I tried export and selected a subset of the existing groups. First indication of trouble was a dialog telling me that the directory was not empty - Why would one need an empty directory ?

Anyway, I clicked through and is seems that a new file was created - but all the groups are still in the original file. Now I have partial duplicate.....

I tried to open the new file but get an error message about it not being the right format. ...? Whats up with this?  It has a .mdb just like the regular files.

Then I tried to create a new file and import the exported file but the button is grayed out.

How does one do this? I just want to split an existing file into two files.

Werner

[Wilson Logan]

Hi Manfred,

 I think this sticky topic covers your requirement:

http://www.personalgroupware.com/smf/index.php?topic=620.0

The reason you can't open an exported file as a database is that even though it is an Access database file it is just the group message information. There is no system information. If you have a look at the structure of the PG Offline database ygroups.mdb it is made up of 3 tables: messages, members and system data. When you do an Export you just get the messages table.


Cheers,

Wilson.

[wapfinator]

Hi, Manfred.

First indication of trouble was a dialog telling me that the directory was not empty - Why would one need an empty directory ?

I think the warning is for the default situation, when (1) you're not renaming the export file, and/or (2) you're using the same folder for this and every export file.  It just serves as an extra precaution. You certainly can use different names and different folders for your exports.

Anyway, I clicked through and is seems that a new file was created - but all the groups are still in the original file. Now I have partial duplicate.....

You need to first create a new database to receive the imports.

I tried to open the new file but get an error message about it not being the right format. ...? Whats up with this?  It has a .mdb just like the regular files.

As Wilson said, it is not possible to directly open the export/import file. Only a database (PGO-created) can be opened in PGO.

Then I tried to create a new file and import the exported file but the button is grayed out.

You're almost there.  In the new file (i.e. new database, that you just created), create the same group in it that you want to import--either use Groups / New Group, or else Get Groups List and select the group from the list.  Now do a File / "Import from Folder" and browse to select your import file to bring in the exported records. Do a "Get List" to list the contents.  You will see that the group is no longer grayed out now that it exists in both the source and the target. Check off what you want to import and proceed.

How does one do this? I just want to split an existing file into two files.

It's just me but in this case my preference is to create two export files, each with a subset of the records... For instance if the group has 400,000 records total, I create one export with records #1-200,000 and the second export with records #201,000-400,000.  Then I create two new databases and import an export file into each.  This way I don't have to deal with deleting superfluous records, instead I just delete the old database.  

This surely repeats what has been said by Wilson and others in the other thread, but might add some more points.  

ps - Now I think I've misread what you're doing - you don't want to split the SAME group across two databases but just move whole groups from one database to another.
I'll leave this up anyway in case it helps in some way.

[Manfred]

Non of the replies address tha issue of import being 'grayed-out' - unusable

???????

Yes I tried compatibility mode but that causes all sorts of other problems.

I think there needs to be a Compatibility Mode 'sticky' that explains a fix