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Knowledge Base Article:IMW69 
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Comparison of methods for updating crash records

Article created: Jan 09 2002, updated: Jan 09 2002

Background:  Intersection Magic supports several ways of adding data to its database. This article describes the difference between updating data with regular importing, partial record importing and merging using imwedit.
Status:  Info - "how to" article
Keywords:  import,partial,updating,merging,overwriting,replace
Categories:   *Importing* *Data*

Explanation:
Normally when Intersection Magic imports, it reads a record from your ASCII file and identifies the CASE ID number field. It then searches it's database for that CASE ID. If it finds it, it deletes that record from the database and begins importing the new data. Thus, overwriting the original data.

This behavior is normally what one would desire. However, on occasion, as described above, it is desirable to locate the existing record and then just fill in any fields that are specified in the new import definition. In this case, Intersection Magic reads a record from the ASCII file, searches for it in its database, if it finds it, it loads it for editing. Then it imports the fields specified in the import definition and only updates those fields for which there is new data.

Merging databases is the solution for cases when a user has a file that contains new as well as updated data, and the user wishes to only import new data without overwriting existing records. That data can be imported into a separate IM database which will later be merged into the existing database. That way only records with new case ids will be imported.

This diagram helps illustrate the three different modes of importing / merging data:
diagram illustrating different ways of improting data

To read more about partial importing please click here

Solution:
The options for adding data are:
Normal import:
Overwrites existing records with same case id.
Partial record import:
Supplements fields in existing records with same case id.
Merge (in IMWEdit:)
Rejects existing records with same case id.
September 08, 2010 6:01AM

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