Export data to another instance of Microsoft Dynamics AX
Important
This content is archived and is not being updated. For the latest documentation, see Microsoft Dynamics 365 product documentation. For the latest release plans, see Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform release plans.
Applies To: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Feature Pack, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012
You can use the export operation in Microsoft Dynamics AX to export a subset of data from a single company. You can then import the data to another company. This company can be in the same partition, in a different partition, or in a partition in another instance of Microsoft Dynamics AX.
Before you read this topic, we strongly recommend that you read the information in Plan data import, export, and migration.
The export and import functionality in Microsoft Dynamics AX is designed to export and import tables in individual companies. The doInsert, doUpdate, and doDelete methods that are called by the export and import functionality cannot be overwritten. Therefore, any application logic that is written at the table level is not called during export and import operations.
Before you begin, make sure that the current partition and company account are the partition and account that you want to export data from.
For more information about how export operations are processed, see Use DAT and DEF files to export and import data.
Reliability and performance
Data export is a resource-intensive activity—it requires significant database, memory, and processing.
Consider the following recommendations before you begin an export operation:
Back up the source data before you perform an export.
Perform all exports outside core working hours.
Export data
Click System administration > Common > Data export/import > Export to.
On the General tab, select the definition group that you want to export.
Enter the name of the file that you want to export the data to.
Note
Do not include periods in file names, except between the name and the extension. File names that include periods are not supported for export files.
Select the type of file that you are exporting the data to:
Binary – Data is exported as a compressed file format. This option is most frequently used.
Comma – Data is exported as a comma-separated value (CSV) list.
Warning
When you export data as a CSV list, some data is omitted, such as container fields, line breaks, and binary data.
If you must run the export operation immediately, select the Execute on AOS check box.
Typically, selecting this option improves performance.
To schedule the export operation as a batch job, use the Batch tab to select a batch that runs on the schedule you prefer.