Importing Data from CSV in PostgreSQL

This topic describes how to import data from a CSV file using Data Import/Export Tools for PostgreSQL.

Note

Data Import Wizard pages can slightly differ due to the product you have been using.

  1. Decide what table to import the data to:

    For a new table:

    • On the Database menu, click Import Data. The Data Import wizard opens.

    For an existing table:

    • In Database Explorer, right-click a table and select Import Data on the shortcut menu. The Data Import wizard opens with predefined parameters: a PostgreSQL connection, a database, a schema, and a table to import the data to.

    • Alternatively, on the Database menu, click Import Data and select a required table on the Destination table wizard page.

  2. Select the CSV import file format, specify a location of Source data, and click Next.

  3. Specify a PostgreSQL connection, a database, a schema, and a table to import the data to. If you selected a table in Database Explorer before opening the Data Import wizard, the wizard will open with the predefined connection parameters of the selected table. To create or edit PostgreSQL connections, click the corresponding buttons, and click Next.

  4. Preview the Source data and specify additional options to customize the import:

    • Set a quantity of lines to skip during the import. Lines are counted from the top.
    • Select the line number where the table header is located. It will be highlighted with blue in the Preview section. If you don’t specify the header position, the imported columns will get default names - column1, column2, etc.
    • Specify a column delimiter. See the result in the Preview section. Then, click Next.

  5. Specify data formats for the Source data and click Next.
  6. Map the Source columns to the Target ones. If you are importing the data into a new table, dbForge Studio will automatically create and map all the columns. If you are importing into an existing table, only columns with the same names will be mapped, the rest should be mapped manually. (If no columns with the same name are found, they are mapped in succession - the 1st column in Source with the 1st column in Target, etc.).

    See the Target columns in the top and the Source columns at the bottom of the wizard page. Click the Source column fields and select required columns from the drop-down list. (For more information about mapping, go to the Mapping, Data Import Wizard topic.)

    Note
    To cancel mapping of all the columns, click Clear Mappings on the toolbar. To restore it, click Fill Mapping.

  7. If you are importing to a new table, you can edit the Target column properties by double-clicking them in the top grid. Select the Key check box for a column with a primary key and click Next.

    Note
    You should select at least one column with a primary key, otherwise, some of import modes on the Modes wizard page will be disabled.

  8. Select an import mode to define how dbForge Studio should import the data, and click Next.
  9. Select how dbForge Studio should handle errors during import and whether you want to get a log file with details about the import session.
  10. Click Import and see the import progress. dbForge Studio will notify you whether the import completed successfully or failed. To open the log file, click Show log file.
  11. To finish the import and close the wizard, click Finish.

Note

You can save the import settings as a template for future uses. to save the selected settings, on any wizard page, click Save Template. Next time you should only select a template and specify a location of the Source data - all the settings will be already set. For more information, go to Saving and Using Templates.

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