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Migrating and upgrading
You can upgrade to the 14.10 release of HCL Informix® or migrate from other database servers to Informix. Upgrading is an in-place migration method that uses your existing hardware and operating system software. Some changes to the Informix database server can affect upgrading from a previous release.
Migrating Informix® database systems
The Informix® Migration Guide describes how to move data manually between databases, servers, and computers.
Data migration utilities
The dbexport and dbimport utilities
The dbexport and dbimport utilities import and export a database and its schema to disk or tape.
Syntax of the dbexport Command
The dbexport command unloads a database into text files that you can later import into another database. The command also creates a schema file.
dbexport errors
The dbexport -c option tells dbexport to complete exporting unless a fatal error occurs.

Migrating and upgrading
You can upgrade to the 14.10 release of HCL Informix® or migrate from other database servers to Informix. Upgrading is an in-place migration method that uses your existing hardware and operating system software. Some changes to the Informix database server can affect upgrading from a previous release.
- Migrating Informix® database systems
  The Informix® Migration Guide describes how to move data manually between databases, servers, and computers.
  - Overview of migration
  - Migration to and reversion from 14.10
  - Migration of data between database servers
  - Data migration utilities
    - External tables
      External tables are a fast and versatile method for moving data between database servers. External tables are the fastest method for loading data into a RAW table with no indexes.
    - The dbexport and dbimport utilities
      The dbexport and dbimport utilities import and export a database and its schema to disk or tape.
      - Syntax of the dbexport Command
        The dbexport command unloads a database into text files that you can later import into another database. The command also creates a schema file.
        Termination of the dbexport utility
        You can stop the dbexport utility at any time.
        dbexport errors
        The dbexport -c option tells dbexport to complete exporting unless a fatal error occurs.
        dbexport server-specific information
        The dbexport -ss option generates server-specific information. This option specifies initial- and next-extent sizes, fragmentation information if the table is fragmented, the locking mode, the dbspace for a table, the blobspace for any simple large objects, and the dbspace for any smart large objects.
        dbexport destination options
        The dbexport utility supports disk and tape destination options.
        Exporting time series data in rolling window containers
        The dbexport utility exports time series data except any data that is in the dormant window of rolling window containers.
      - Contents of the schema file that dbexport creates
        The dbexport utility creates a schema file. This file contains the SQL statements that you need to re-create the exported database.
      - Syntax of the dbimport command
        The dbimport command imports previously exported data into another database.
      - Changing the database locale with dbimport
        You can use the dbimport utility to change the locale of a database.
      - Simple large objects
        When the dbimport, dbexport, and DB-Access utilities process simple-large-object data, they create temporary files for that data in a temporary directory.
    - The dbload utility
      The dbload utility loads data into databases or tables that Informix® products created. It transfers data from one or more text files into one or more existing tables.
    - The dbschema utility
      The dbschema utility displays the SQL statements (the schema) that are necessary to replicate database objects.
    - The LOAD and UNLOAD statements
      You can use the SQL LOAD and UNLOAD statements to move data. The LOAD statement is moderately fast and easy to use, but it only accepts specified data formats. You usually use the LOAD statement with data that is prepared with an UNLOAD statement.
    - The onunload and onload utilities
      The onunload and onload utilities provide the fastest way to move data between computers that use the same database server on the same platform.
    - The onmode utility reversion option
      You use the -b option of the onmode utility to revert to the older database server from which you converted.
    - The onrestorept utility
      You can use the onrestorept utility to restore the database server back to the state that it was in just before the start of the failed upgrade.

dbexport errors

The dbexport -c option tells dbexport to complete exporting unless a fatal error occurs.

Even if you use the -c option, dbexport interrupts processing if one of the following fatal errors occurs:

dbexport is unable to open the specified tape.
dbexport finds bad writes to the tape or disk.
Invalid command parameters were used.
dbexport cannot open the database or there is no system permission for doing so.
A subdirectory with the name specified during invocation already exists