This technote helps you update a database
when you want to copy information from one database and add it to the existing
records in another database. Follow the instructions below to complete this task.
- Open the file you want to merge
from and the file you want to merge to.
- From the Edit menu, choose Command.
- Click on the New button.
- Type a name for the command in
the Save As text box, such as Merge Fields.
- Copy and Paste or Type the following
Five line command in the Command Statement Syntax box:
SET SAFETY OFF
SELECT("DatabaseNameWithInfoInIt")
INDEX ON UPPER(ALLT(matchkey)) TAG MatchkeyName
SELECT("DatabaseNameThatNeedsInfo")
REPLACE fieldname with DatabaseNameWithInfoInIt.fieldname for SEEK(UPPER(ALLT(matchkey)),"DatabaseNameWithInfoInIt") |
- On Line2 of the command, type
in the name of your database (without the extension) that contains the information
that you'll be transferring to the other database.
- On Line3 of the command, type
the words Index On UPPER(ALLT( and then type
the name of the field that acts as the match key between the two databases,
followed by two closed parentheses. After the word TAG, you can give a name
to the matchkey, or just leave it as Matchkeyname.
- On Line4 of the command, type
in the name of your database (without the extension) that you'll be merging
into.
- On Line5 of the command, you'll
type in the fields that will be involved in the merge. For instance, if you
want to transfer the information from the Email field from Database B into
Database A, this is what the fifth line will look like:
REPLACE email with DatabaseB.email
for
* If you want to merge more than
one field, you can do that as well on Line5:
REPLACE email with DatabaseB.email,
company with DatabaseB.company, fax with DatabaseB.phone2 for
- On Line6, your matchkey followed
by the database name will go inside of the parentheses. Make sure the database
name is typed inside of the quotation marks, and leave the extension off the
database name:
SEEK(UPPER(ALLT(Record)),"DatabaseB")
Run that command, and the task will
be completed. If you'd like to do a merge perge with different databases or
different fields, make a copy of the command and adjust the copy. Copying the
command is as simple as changing the name of the command; when you change the
name, the command is still saved under the previous title, so you'll be able
to make changes to the copied command without changing the original. |
