What is import/export and why does one need it?
Oracle’s export (exp) and import (imp) utilities are used to perform logical database backup and recovery. When exporting, database objects are dumped to a binary file which can then be imported into another Oracle database. These utilities can be used to move data between different machines, databases or schema. However, as they use a proprietary binary file format, they can only be used between Oracle databases. One cannot export data and expect to import it into a non-Oracle database. Various parameters are available to control what objects are exported or imported. To get a list of available parameters, run the exp or imp utilities with the help=yes parameter. The export/import utilities are commonly used to perform the following tasks: • Backup and recovery (small databases only, say < +50GB, if bigger, use RMAN instead) • Move data between Oracle databases on different platforms (for example from Solaris to Windows) • Reorganization of data/ eliminate database fragmentation (expo
The Oracle export (EXP) and import (IMP) utilities are used to perform logical database backup and recovery. They are also used to move Oracle data from one machine, database or schema to another. The imp/exp utilities use an Oracle proprietary binary file format and can thus only be used between Oracle databases. One cannot export data and expect to import it into a non-Oracle database. For more information on how to load and unload data from files, read the SQL*Loader FAQ.
