In article <H00000f100c4dfec@MHS>, Gerry Reilly <GERRY_REILLY@HP- UNITEDKINGDOM-OM3.OM.HP.COM> writes >Hi, > >I have an old system with ten different databases in it. > >The upgraded system contains many years of database modifications (new >elements, new data sets etc.) > >Does anyone know what would be the best tool/technique to compare an old >database with a newer one, and to actually load up the new one? > >Any suggestions gratefully received! >Gerry Reilly >HP South Queensferry Are you trying to compare data, or data structures? If the latter, Flexibase is a fine tool. With it, you can Decompile (Option 16) the schema from database A, and then use that to Transmute (Option 17) database B (with or without actually doing it) to see what changes it detects. It does rather rely on any given element keeping its name the same in any two database versions it appears in (and conversely that no new and different element springs up under the same name), but then so do any similar tools. Once you know what you are looking at, you can synthesize a schema for the melded database, and ask Flexibase to Transmute the old database to this new format. It will space fill left or right, zero fill, or truncate as needed. Finally, if you wish, you can Transfer (Option 18) data from the old database to the new one. Plus any or all of the other options..... ******************************************************************* <><> FLEXIBASE/IMAGE <><> Version E.05.05 (c) Sector 7 Software 1986,1994 sold under license by PROACTIVE SYSTEMS worldwide 1 SHOW status of datasets 2 DIAGNOSE database performance 3 CHECK logical data integrity 4 ANALYZE database logfiles 5 CAP-CHANGE to a set 6 AUTOMATIC capacity management 7 REPACK a detail set in CHAINED sequence 8 REPAIR broken chains in paths 9 TRANSPOSE an item value throughout a database 10 CREATE a SAMPLE database 11 UNLOAD a set to an MPE file 12 ERASE all entries from a set 13 LOAD a set from an MPE file 14 RENAME a database 15 COPY a database 16 DECOMPILE a database to give a schema-file 17 TRANSMUTE a database with respect to a new schema 18 TRANSFER entries from one database into another database 19 ARCHIVE entries from a database 20 :MPE enter MPE command or run other programs *********************************************************************** Bloody good product, from Proactive Systems here in the UK. Not a plug - we're just users. (Sorry Alfredo.... Adager couldn't get near this functionality when we were selecting a db management product. Maybe it can now?) -- Roy Brown Phone : (01684) 291710 Fax : (01684) 291712 Affirm Ltd Email : [log in to unmask] The Great Barn, Mill St 'Have nothing on your systems that you do not TEWKESBURY GL20 5SB (UK) know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.'