--- In firebird-support@yahoogroups.com, Tim Ledgerwood <tim@s...>
wrote:

>
> >precautions that a desktop database doesn't care about). I know

that one

> >of the
> >fastest ways to do imports is to create an external file, but I

haven't got a

> >clue how to do that.
>
>
> I import 65k records in 13 seconds using an external file. On a

regular

> basis - it's the average size of the weekly stolen card data file

our

> clients get from the bank.
>
> 1. Make sure that the external file access is enabled in the config

file.

>
> 2. Make sure that the external file is fixed length fields.
>
> 3. Create a table with all of the fields that will be in your

external

> table. Make sure that ALL field types are "CHAR". (It just makes

everything

> easier ...)
>
> 4. Make sure to create a column for the EOL markers AS WELL. The

EOL

> markers depend on your OS. On windows, it is the CRLF pair - 2

chars.

>
> 5. Open the file using SQL ... I dump the records from the table

(which I

> call an import table) into a more permamanent table.
>
> the same process used to take me 2 hours using Paradox ...
>
> The entire procedure is WELL documented in the IB 6 docs\
>
> Regards
>
> Tim

I cannot do this because it has to be done remotely. I have no access
to the server. The fields cannot be CHAR.