Re: importing db as text files

On Wed, Aug 13, 2003 at 14:14:20 -0700,
expect <expect(at)ihubbell(dot)com> wrote:
>
> What's the big deal with importing text files? I have a 70 MB file to import
> and it's been one problem after another. I used the copy command and it appears
> that it's just not possible. I finally massaged the file into a .sql file and

That is unlikely, but without more details it is hard to say what you need
to do.

> ran that using \i db.sql but that failed too because I overlooked ' in names
> like D'Adario. The other problem I encountered was that a numeric field had
> to have data in it, pg would not default to the default value. So instead of

You can use the keyword default in insert statements to get a default value.

> massaging all the data again I decided to change the data type for that column.
> This is my first experience with postgresql and I'm wondering if I should expect
> to encounter similar pain as I go further into this? So far it's been very
> painful trying to do what I thought would be easy and what I think should be
> easy.

The impression I get is that you expect postgres to make a best guess when
presented with ambiguous data. That is a very dangerous thing to do. I would
much prefer ambiguous data be rejected so that I can make sure what I think
the value is, is the same as what the database thinks the value is.