Interface functionality: running import and export jobs

Import.exe and Designer import job editor/manager deprecated for running import jobs: use importtool.exe instead

Import.exe and thus the Designer import job editor/manager (because Designer effectively calls import.exe when an import job is being run) need to be able to read the .inf of the target database for the import. This is only possible if this software recognizes all options and object properties that might have been set in the relevant .inf. If an option or property isn't recognized, running the import job returns an error 172 (system file processed with newer version of software than version with which it was called). With the late 2022 introduction of importtool.exe (using newer technology) as an alternative for import.exe and the Designer import function, development on the latter import functionality has ceased. This has the consequence that when you use import.exe or the Designer import job editor/manager to run an import job for an .inf that has new options (say those that were introduced from Designer 7.6 and up), there's a chance you'll get an error 172 because import.exe has no support for the new property. In that case you'll need to start using importtool.exe to run your import jobs from now on. However, as long as you don't get the error, you can keep running your import jobs as you always did and you can even use the latest version of Designer for any changes to your application. Just keep in mind that you may activate a new option or property sooner or later, after which import.exe or an import with Designer will throw the mentioned error and you'll still have to move to importtool.exe.
Import jobs still have to be created in Designer (preferably use the latest version), so that doesn't change.

Running an import job from within Designer

Saving an import or export job, doesn't execute the job. You must select a job in either the Import job manager or Export job manager, or open it in the Import job editor or Export job editor, and then instruct Designer to start importing or exporting according to the settings in the selected or opened job, by choosing File > Run or clicking the button for it:

Every time you execute the current job, Designer will refresh any loaded adapl procedures set for this job, so that you can easily test a changed version of your newly compiled adapl by just running the job again.
Any storage adapl associated with the target database table will not be executed during import via Designer (or import.exe).

If the destination file for an export job already exists, you'll be asked if it should be overwritten or not, before the export job is started.

The Run tab in the appropriate job editor automatically opens when you run a job. It displays some statistics about the running/ran job. The status bar in that window also indicates if the job is still running or if it has been completed. In the main Axiell Designer window a log of the operation is kept: any errors during execution of the job are also logged there.
The running of an import job by Designer, is done in the background, which allows you to continue working in Designer. You can only run one job at a time; Designer won't allow you to run multiple jobs simultaneously.
You may cancel a running job at any moment, for instance if errors occur, by clicking the Stop import/export job button:

The status bar indicates that the job has been aborted. Note that already exported or imported records are not made undone by stopping the job: you will be left with a partial import or export.

Note that importing from Designer is just as fast as with import.exe, because it uses the same code.

Export and import progress

How long exporting, or importing and indexing takes, depends on your computer system, the size of the database, the average record size, the number of indexes and links and the number of repetitions in the event of repeatable index fields.
During an import operation, the Import job editor constantly shows how many records have been processed (depending on how you set the Milestone option), the number of records processed per minute, the estimated end time, a progress bar, and some other data.
The export progress data is similar to that of importing, but there's no estimated end time or progress bar. Exporting is much faster than importing though, which makes progress data less relevant.

Exclusive access

Leave this option unmarked: it is not applicable to SQL databases.

Errors

Errors that occur during import are displayed on the Run tab of the Import job editor, and in the main Axiell Designer window (from where you can save or print them). Importing will continue if errors are non-fatal. Two types of non-fatal errors can occur:

1.	when a key value is longer than the index length; Designer will abbreviate the key to the destination length and index it.

2.	when the program encounters a date as an index value, while the notation of the date is incorrect; Designer will not index the date. The 'incorrect' date, however, will be imported in the database anyway.

The following data about an occurring error will be reported:

•	the record number;

•	the tag of the field in which the error occurred;

•	the occurrence of the field;

•	the data itself.