Copying a subset of data to an empty database with the same schema

Posted by user193655 on Stack Overflow See other posts from Stack Overflow or by user193655
Published on 2010-05-10T13:50:41Z Indexed on 2010/05/10 13:54 UTC
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I would like to export part of a database full of data to an empty database. Both databases has the same schema. I want to maintain referential integrity.

To simplify my cases it is like this:

MainTable has the following fields:
1) MainID integer PK
2) Description varchar(50)
3) ForeignKey integer FK to MainID of SecondaryTable

SecondaryTable has the following fields:
4) MainID integer PK (referenced by (3))
5) AnotherDescription varchar(50)

The goal I'm trying to accomplish is "export all records from MainTable using a WHERE condition", for example all records where MainID < 100.

To do it manually I shuold first export all data from SecondaryTable contained in this select:

select * from SecondaryTable ST
outer join PrimaryTable PT
 on ST.MainID=PT.MainID

then export the needed records from MainTable:

select * from MainTable
where MainID < 100.

This is manual, ok. Of course my case is much much much omre complex, I have 200+ tables, so donig it manually is painful/impossible, I have many cascading FKs.

Is there a way to force the copy of main table only "enforcing referntial integrity".

so that my query is something like:

select * from MainTable
where MainID < 100
WITH "COPYING ALL FK sources"

In this cases also the field (5) will be copied.

======================================================

Is there a syntax or a tool to do this?

Table per table I'd like to insert conditions (like MainID <100 is only for MainTable, but I have also other tables).

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