Import and export database structure

After completing the steps described in the Model Creation chapter of the Infor CPM Administration Guide, you have a model either with or without default dimension members. (If importing from a table, you must create a model with default dimension members.) This means that you have the framework for your database dimensions. Next, you need to put the structure in place. You can think of structure as adding the walls to the framework to create a container for the data. Without these walls, you cannot manage the data.

There are three main scenarios for using the Import and Export Wizards.

• When setting up your database for the first time.
• There are enough changes to the database structure that using Architect is not practical.
• You are moving your database to accommodate server, dimension, or software changes.

The wizards have built-in knowledge about the structure requirements of CPM databases. It also has built-in processing intelligence to put structure data into and pull structure data out of the database (without deleting structure).

Unless there are empty database dimensions, Architect can be used to build structure. However, Architect is intended to be used for ad hoc updates to database structure. It is not efficient when many database structure updates must be input.