Question:
I need to migrate Informix data to an Oracle database. The current application front end imports with CSV files. Can Informix export to a CSV file?
Answer:
There is not a CSV export, per se, but you can get close by using the DELIMITER construct:
UNLOAD to flatfilename DELIMITER ',' SELECT *FROM TABLENAME
This will give you the fields separated by commas. A CSV file usually has character fields separated by double quotes. To get this you need a statement like this:
UNLOAD to flatfilename DELIMITER ','SELECT '"' || charfield1 || '"', noncharfieldFROM tablename.
An easier way to do this is to use a tool like WinSQL to do the complete export from one database to another. See this month’s 10-minute-solution for an explanation of where to get WinSQL and how to use it.
