4.8.8 mysqlimport, Importing Data from Text Files

mysqlimport provides a command-line interface to the LOAD DATA INFILE SQL statement. Most options to mysqlimport correspond directly to the same options to LOAD DATA INFILE. See section 6.4.9 LOAD DATA INFILE Syntax.

mysqlimport is invoked like this:

shell> mysqlimport [options] database textfile1 [textfile2 ...]

For each text file named on the command-line, mysqlimport strips any extension from the filename and uses the result to determine which table to import the file's contents into. For example, files named `patient.txt', `patient.text', and `patient' would all be imported into a table named patient.

mysqlimport supports the following options:

-c, --columns=...

This option takes a comma-separated list of field names as an argument. The field list is used to create a proper LOAD DATA INFILE command, which is then passed to MySQL. See section 6.4.9 LOAD DATA INFILE Syntax.

-C, --compress

Compress all information between the client and the server if both support compression.

-#, --debug[=option_string]

Trace usage of the program (for debugging).

-d, --delete

Empty the table before importing the text file.

--fields-terminated-by=...

--fields-enclosed-by=...

--fields-optionally-enclosed-by=...

--fields-escaped-by=...

--lines-terminated-by=...

These options have the same meaning as the corresponding clauses for LOAD DATA INFILE. See section 6.4.9 LOAD DATA INFILE Syntax.

-f, --force

Ignore errors. For example, if a table for a text file doesn't exist, continue processing any remaining files. Without --force, mysqlimport exits if a table doesn't exist.

--help

Display a help message and exit.

-h host_name, --host=host_name

Import data to the MySQL server on the named host. The default host is localhost.

-i, --ignore

See the description for the --replace option.

-l, --lock-tables

Lock all tables for writing before processing any text files. This ensures that all tables are synchronised on the server.

-L, --local

Read input files from the client. By default, text files are assumed to be on the server if you connect to localhost (which is the default host).

-pyour_pass, --password[=your_pass]

The password to use when connecting to the server. If you specify no `=your_pass' part, mysqlimport you will be prompted for a password.

-P port_num, --port=port_num

TCP/IP port number to use for connection.

--protocol=(TCP | SOCKET | PIPE | MEMORY)

To specify the connect protocol to use. New in MySQL 4.1.

-r, --replace

The --replace and --ignore options control handling of input records that duplicate existing records on unique key values. If you specify --replace, new rows replace existing rows that have the same unique key value. If you specify --ignore, input rows that duplicate an existing row on a unique key value are skipped. If you don't specify either option, an error occurs when a duplicate key value is found, and the rest of the text file is ignored.

-s, --silent

Silent mode. Write output only when errors occur.

-S /path/to/socket, --socket=/path/to/socket

The socket file to use when connecting to localhost (which is the default host).

-u user_name, --user=user_name

The MySQL user name to use when connecting to the server. The default value is your Unix login name.

-v, --verbose

Verbose mode. Print out more information what the program does.

-V, --version

Print version information and exit.

Here is a sample run using mysqlimport:

$ mysql --version
mysql  Ver 9.33 Distrib 3.22.25, for pc-linux-gnu (i686)
$ uname -a
Linux xxx.com 2.2.5-15 #1 Mon Apr 19 22:21:09 EDT 1999 i586 unknown
$ mysql -e 'CREATE TABLE imptest(id INT, n VARCHAR(30))' test
$ ed
a
100     Max Sydow
101     Count Dracula
.
w imptest.txt
32
q
$ od -c imptest.txt
0000000   1   0   0  \t   M   a   x       S   y   d   o   w  \n   1   0
0000020   1  \t   C   o   u   n   t       D   r   a   c   u   l   a  \n
0000040
$ mysqlimport --local test imptest.txt
test.imptest: Records: 2  Deleted: 0  Skipped: 0  Warnings: 0
$ mysql -e 'SELECT * FROM imptest' test
+------+---------------+
| id   | n             |
+------+---------------+
|  100 | Max Sydow     |
|  101 | Count Dracula |
+------+---------------+

User Comments

Keep in mind that your imported text file should
have some value for empty fields. I regularly
build tables using msqlimport to import
tab-delimited text files. My tables contain
integer fields, some of which are
auto_incremented and some are not. MYSQL will
let you represent empty fields as null text
strings, i.e., two tab characters back-to-back,
but I found this increments the warning count.
To solve this problem you must use some value
for empty fields. Since auto_increment fields
use 0 or NULL, one would think, incorrectly,
that you could use 0 or \N to represent a null
value in the import text file. You must 0 for
an auto_increment field. Using \N increments
the warning count. You should use \N for other
numeric fields where you want a null value.
This problem is especially perplexing because of
MySQL's inability to report the text of a
warning. It only reports a warning count.

Before you invoke mysqlimport command with
appropriate options, please check that the 'FILE'
privilege is granted to you.
I wasted time facing the 'Access Denied on
table_name' error
because of the same.

Mysqlimport - access_to_mysql.txt - Usage - reg.

While converting the data from Microsoft Access database to Mysql, I have used the access_to_mysql.txt tool. In my database, some of the tables were were linked with another microsoft access database for which password has been set. Hence while converting the data, it displayed an error.

To over come this, I opened the database which has the linked table and removed the password set for that database.

Once password is removed, all the tables and data was successfully transferred to C:\temp\mysqldump.txt file.

It could be a great idea to allow to specify a destination table for the import.
It also could be great to support the * like:

shell>mysqlimport --table Operator User*.*

Which could import into the table Operator, the content of the files UserSAP.usr and UserUNIX.txt...

Gael.

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