Importing data

The following restrictions apply to the import utility:

• If the existing table is a parent table containing a primary key that is referenced by a foreign key in a dependent table, its data cannot be replaced, only appended to.
• You cannot perform an import replace operation into an underlying table of a materialized query table defined in refresh immediate mode.
• You cannot import data into a system table, a summary table, or a table with a structured type column.
• You cannot import data into declared temporary tables.
• Views cannot be created through the import utility.
• Referential constraints and foreign key definitions are not preserved when creating tables from PC/IXF files. (Primary key definitions are preserved if the data was previously exported by using SELECT *.)
• Because the import utility generates its own SQL statements, the maximum statement size of 2 MB might, in some cases, be exceeded.
• You cannot re-create a partitioned table or a multidimensional clustered table (MDC) by using the CREATE or REPLACE_CREATE import parameters.
• You cannot re-create tables containing XML columns.
• You cannot import encrypted data.
• The import replace operation does not honor the Not Logged Initially clause. The REPLACE parameter for the IMPORT command does not honor the NOT LOGGED INITIALLY (NLI) clause for the CREATE TABLE statement or the ACTIVATE NOT LOGGED INITIALLY clause for the ALTER TABLE statement . If an import with the REPLACE action is performed within the same transaction as a CREATE TABLE or ALTER TABLE statement where the NLI clause is invoked, the import will not honor the NLI clause. All inserts will be logged.

  Workaround 1: Delete the contents of the table by using the DELETE statement, then invoke the import with INSERT statement.

  Workaround 2: Drop the table and re-create it, then invoke the import with INSERT statement.

The following limitation applies to the import utility: If the volume of output messages generated by an import operation against a remote database exceeds 60 KB, the utility will keep the first 30 KB and the last 30 KB.