Import vs Import & Merge

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The Import command is designed for importing .sde files when the contents of the file are not already contained in the database, or a copy of the sde is required. The Import command will import the contents of the sde file into the folder which is currently selected on the Data Bar. If an object other than a group is selected, then it will import into the same level as the object. If the export is of a group which already exists at this level of the database, then import will create a 'Copy of "groupname"' folder. If you originally exported the root and your database is not blank, then it will create a 'Copy of System' folder. This will create an extra level of folders, and lengthen the name of all objects, so explains why some files will not import as described above.

Import and Merge works in a similar fashion, except that if the group already exists, the changes will be merged into the existing database, instead of creating a copy. This means that any objects in the .sde file which are not in the database will be created, any objects that exist in both will be overwritten by the import and any objects which are only in the database will be left untouched.

In some situations, using a straight Import can cause problems that will not occur with an Import and Merge.

If you try to use the Import command to import an .sde which has the maximum allowed depth of folder levels, or close to the maximum allowed number of characters in an object name, you maybe unable to import your sde into anything other than a blank database.

Unless you require a copy of what you are importing, it is generally safest to use Import and Merge all the time.

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