About creating a new table for imported data

When importing data into an existing FileMaker Pro file, you can import it into a new table based on the schema of the imported data. This lets you consolidate tables from multiple files into a single database file without having to manually re-create the table schemas.

To import data into a new table:

• Set up recurring imports so data accessed from an external file refreshes automatically when you view imported data for the first time during a FileMaker Pro session or manually when you run a data update script. Data imported via recurring import is read-only in FileMaker Pro. See Setting up recurring imports.
• Follow the procedures in Importing data into an existing file and choose New Table from the Target list in the Import Field Mapping dialog box. The name of the imported table is the same as the source table name. If the file already has a table with the same name as the imported table, a number is added to the table’s name.

References to fields in the source table

Imported tables may contain broken references to fields in the file they were imported from. You may have to resolve these references manually.

Imported references will be maintained if the referenced fields are present in the file you imported the data into. For example, if Table A has references to Table B, import Table B before Table A to preserve the references. If you import Table A first, the references will be broken even after you import Table B.

Notes 

• Data cannot be imported into fields of type calculation or summary.
• When you select New Table from the Target list, you cannot modify the target fields in the new target table through the Import Field Mapping dialog box (using Manage Database in the Target list). When the import process is complete, you can then modify the fields by choosing File menu > Manage > Database.