The tools DBExport/DBImport are used by administrators for transferring selected database content from one server to another.

!!!WARNING IMPORTANT
It's strictly advised to use those tools only if you really know what you are doing. Using the tools in a wrong way may affect the functionality and stability of the system.

If possible, restrict the use of those tools to situations where a system is newly created. For existing systems there might be better tools available that allow a safer transfer of data from one server to another. ZeeBORN Support may be able to provide better solutions.
!!!

## Availability and Installation

Both tools are not part of the standard installation package and need to be requested separately from [Support](https://zeeborn.net/support). The tools will be made available in a ZIP archive that needs to be extracted to the ZeeBORN programs folder (default `C:\Program Files (x86)\ZeeBORN`).

## DBExport

`DBExport` is a simple data extractor that allows you to extract the data of selected database tables. The tool always extracts all records from a table. For a more fine-tuned data extraction you can use `DBViewer` with the `Create ADT file` function.

For extracting database tables use the following steps.

1. Choose an `Output Folder`. This folder must already exists and shouldn't contain any other files.
2. From the list of tables choose the tables you want to export.
3. Click on `Export Tables` to start the extraction. The log viewer will inform you about the extraction process.

**Please note:** The tool extracts only database table content. It currently can't extract any images, files or any other attachment type.

## DBImport

`DBImport` is used for importing database tables created with the `DBExport` tool.

For importing the database tables, use the following steps.

1. Make sure you have created a backup of your database.
1. Start `DBImport` 
1. Choose the `Import Folder`. After choosing the import folder, the log viewer will list all tables found in the selected folder that can be imported.
1. Choose the appropriate import options ([see below](#import-options))
1. Click on `Import` to start the import process. The log viewer will show you a detailed overview about the process and updates that have been applied to the database.

### Import Options

Depending on what type of data you want to import and how you want to handle already existing database content, the tool provides different options:

Options | Description {.compact}
---|---
add missing records only | Only records that not already exist in the database will be imported. The import tool uses the `ID` column for finding matching records. <br>If this option is not activated, the import of data depends on the following options.
always assign new ID to added entries | If new records are to be imported, a new unique ID will be assigned. This is especially useful if data will be extracted and reimported on the same server for creating duplicates of existing data.
import newer records only | If a matching record is found in the database, the modification timestamp of the records will be compared and the record will be imported only if it has a newer timestamp.

*[PO]: Purchase Order  
*[AZA]: local folder
*[(PO]: Purchase Order  
*[RQ]: Requisition  
*[(RQ]: Requisition  
*[RfQ]: Request for Quotation  
*[(RfQ]: Request for Quotation  
*[SO]: Service Order  
*[(SO]: Service Order  
*[SQ]: Service Requisition  
*[(SQ]: Service Requisition  
*[SRfQ]: Service Request for Quotation  
*[OoB]: Open on Board  
*[(OoB]: Open on Board 
*[ART]: Average Running Time (operation hours per day) 
*[MC]: Master Contract
*[ADS]: Advantage Database Server (database engine used in previous versions of the ZeeBORN software)
*[.replic]: file extension for replication files (aka data transfer files)