Choosing a tool for moving data before migrating between operating systems

If you are migrating between different operating systems, you must choose a method for exporting and importing data. The tool that you choose for exporting and importing data depends on how much data you plan to move.

All these methods deliver similar performance and enable you to modify the schema of the database. The tools that you can use include:

• The dbexport and dbimport utilities, which you can use to move an entire database
• The UNLOAD and LOAD statements, which move selected columns or tables (The LOAD statement does not change the data format.)
• The dbload utility, which you can use to change the data format
• The onunload utility, which unloads data in page-sized chunks, and the onload utility, which moves data to an identical database server on a computer of the same type
• The High-Performance Loader (HPL), which moves selected columns or tables or an entire database
• Enterprise Replication, which you can use to transfer data between Informix® on one operating system and Informix on a second operating system.

For an overview of all of these data-migration tools, a comparison of tools, and information about which versions of the database server do not support all of the tools, see Data-migration tools.