Re: excell to postgres
Jeffrey <seesej@uswest.net>
From: Jeffrey <seesej@uswest.net>
To: <pgsql-general@hub.org>
Date: 2000-04-17T19:48:12Z
Lists: pgsql-general
I don't understand the need for such complicated solutions. Why not just create a table with your shcema, pg_dump the table and insert your delimited .xls file in the pg_dump file. Then re-install the pg_dump-ed table. > From: "Hal Snyder" <hal@vailsys.com> > Date: 17 Apr 2000 14:10:05 -0500 > To: pgsql-general@hub.org > Cc: "Martin A. Marques" <martin@math.unl.edu.ar> > Subject: [GENERAL] excell to postgres > > PostgreSQL team - please comment if you see a better way to do this or > if I'm getting something wrong here! > > "Martin A. Marques" <martin@math.unl.edu.ar> writes: > >> Is there any utilitie (for Linux if it can be) to pass from excell >> tables to postgres database tables? > > We are just beginning to solve a similar problem, although the > PostgreSQL server is running on FreeBSD rather than Linux. > > Goal is to migrate some technical info stores from .XLS files to > tables on PostgreSQL where everyone who needs them can get at them. > > Our plan is: > > 1. Mirror layout of the current .XLS tables as a pgsql schema. We are > keeping it simple - all columns are varchar() and no indexing is used. > This schema is a throw-away, designed to make it as idiot proof and > effortless as possible for the Excel user to drop his tables into the > database. > > 2. Export .XLS files as comma-delimited text into Access. > > 3. Install postodbc on the MS box and link an Access database to the > provisional schema in #1. The postodbc bits seem a bit crufty (pgsql > 6.5.3) and are alleged not to work if you index on data types other > than int, so we again plan to stay away from indexing at this point. > > 4. Drop the Access local tables into PostgreSQL. At this point, our MS > user can use the tables almost as easily as if they were on Excel. > That is one major goal and why we didn't just export .XLS comma > delimited into pgsql - minimal squawking from the MS user. > > 5. Have a production schema which is better normalized, etc than the > raw input one derived from the ad hoc spreadsheets. > > 6. Use SQL scripts (pg-perl or such) to migrate the raw tables > imported in #4 into the production tables. Link the production tables > to Access for our MS guy. > > Status: #1 is done. #3 is done in that we can read/write pgsql tables > from MS Access. We expect #2 and #4 to happen today or tomorrow. > > When it's all done, we hope to have: a) our MS user happy using > Access; b) engineers able to use intranet interface to the database > for common queries and updates; c) net admin guys happy because they > can do real SQL and tie the data into the rest of the support > database. PostgreSQL is a Good Thing! > >