Export / Import via ASCII flat file?

I'm looking for a way to export the data in my tables to ASCII files, and then import them into another database, possibly on a different machine type, possibly on the same type. (For ex-Ingres users, like the copydb -c command).

I need to do this to transfer information between different copies of the database, that may also have different schemas. Another way of looking at it is to preserve user data through an upgrade of the data model / host system.

ASCII files seem to be the best bet because they are machine type independent (no FP or integer binary data in them), and also because they can be edited if necessary.

EXP seems to use binary data formats, and also dumps out lots of crap about the metadata.

SQL Loader can read the files in, if I can make them.

The best I can come up with is to generate SELECT statements to write files, and then use the Loader to get the data back.

Any better ideas / tools etc?

Thanks in advance

Dave Nuttall
unified_at_halcyon.com Received on Sat Apr 01 1995 - 00:00:00 CEST