Data Import and Export

Sybase IQ provides several methods of moving data into and out of your database.

You need to know when to use each method and how to address conversion issues for data inserted from other types of databases.

• Import and Export Overview
  Sybase IQ lets you import data from flat files or directly from database tables. You can also enter specified values directly into the database. Export of data to other formats is available from the Interactive SQL utility and the IQ data extraction facility.
• Methods for Exporting Data from a Database
  To export IQ data from your database in this version of Sybase IQ, Sybase recommends that you use the methods documented in this guide.
• Bulk Loads with the LOAD TABLE Statement
  The LOAD TABLE statement efficiently imports data from a text or binary file into an existing database table.
• Binary Load Formats
  To speed data loading into Sybase IQ, create data files in Sybase IQ binary format, then load this data into Sybase IQ using the FORMAT BINARY and BINARY column specification clauses of LOAD TABLE.
• Using the INSERT Statement
  The INSERT statement allows you to insert data without first putting it into a flat file.
• Inserting Specified Values Row by Row
  To add specified values to a table row by row, use Syntax 1 for the INSERT statement.
• Inserting Selected Rows from the Database
  You can insert any number of rows of data, based on the results of a general SELECT statement.
• Interactive Data Imports
  If you are inserting small quantities of data, you may prefer to enter it interactively through Interactive SQL, using the INSERT statement.
• Moving Data Between Systems with Different Endian Formats
  You can move data from a database in big-endian format to a database in little-endian format.
• Inserting into Tables of a Join Index
  You load or insert data into the tables underlying a join index, just as you would any other indexes. There is only one difference: the data in a join index must be synchronized before you can use the join index to resolve queries.
• Insertions into Primary and Foreign Key Columns
  You load or insert data into primary key and foreign key columns just as you would into any other column.
• Load or Extraction of Large Object Data
  Users must be specifically licensed to use the Unstructured Data Analytics functionality.
• Data Conversion on Insertion
  The data you enter into your Sybase IQ database will likely come from diverse sources.
• Other Factors Affecting the Display of Data
  Whenever Sybase IQ requires an explicit or implicit conversion from one data type to another during a query or insert, it always truncates the results.
• Matching Adaptive Server Enterprise Data Types
  The tables below show which Sybase IQ data types are compatible with Adaptive Server Enterprise data types.
• Tune Bulk Loading of Data
  Loading large volumes of data into a database can take a long time and use a lot of disk space. There are a few things you can do to save time.
• Changes to Table Rows
  To update one or more rows, use the UPDATE statement. The new data can be a constant or an expression that you specify or data pulled from other tables.
• Ways to Delete Data
  Use the DELETE, DROP TABLE, and TRUNCATE TABLE statements to delete data.