Import Wizard

Import Wizard allows you to import data into your tables and collections from a variety of file formats, including CSV, TXT, XML, DBF, and more.

Import Data

Navicat provides a step-by-step wizard for you to complete the task:

• In the main window, click Import Wizard.

• Click Add Source, or the down arrow to select your import file format.

  Note: The Excel file format options depend on the version of Microsoft Office installed on your computer.

• Choose the file you want to import.

  Note: You can add more than one file to import multiple files at the same time.

• Select the target table or change the table name if needed, and click Next.

• Select the source file and configure your file-specific settings.

• Select the target destination table, map your fields or adjust field structures as needed, and click Next.

• Select your preferred import mode (which defines how data is added or updated) and configure any advanced options, then click Next.

• Click Start.

Import from ODBC

Importing data via ODBC requires a two-part setup:

Set up an ODBC Data Source Connection

• On the Control Panel, select Administrative Tools.

• Select Data Sources (ODBC).

• Select the User DSN tab.

• Click Add.

• Select the correct ODBC driver you wish and click Finish.

• Enter the required information.

• Click OK to see your ODBC Driver in the list.

Connect to ODBC Data Source in Navicat

• Click Add Source and select ODBC.

• In the Provider tab, select the appropriate ODBC driver.

• In the Connection tab, choose the data source and provide valid username and password.

• All available tables will be shown if the connection is success.

Source File Settings

When importing data, you can configure how Navicat parses and reads your source files. The available options adapt dynamically depending on your selected file format.

Option	Description
TXT, CSV
Record Delimiter	Specify the record separator of the file.
Delimited	Import the text file with delimited format.
Fixed Width	Import the text file with fixed-width format. To delimit the source column bounds, click on the desired position to create a break line. Simply drag it to move it or double-click it to remove it.
Field Delimiter	Specify the field separator.
Text Qualifier	Specify the character that encloses text values.
XML, JSON
Tag that identifies a table row / Tag that identifies a collection row	Define a tag to identify rows.
Consider tag attributes as table field / Consider tag attributes as collection field	For example: <row age="17"> <id>1</id> <name>sze</name> </row> With this option is on, Navicat will recognize "age" as a field together with "id" and "name", otherwise, only "id" and "name" will be imported as fields. Note: Navicat does not support multiple level of XML file.
Common
Field Name Row	Indicate which row should Navicat recognize as field names.
First Data Row	Indicate which row should Navicat start reading the actual data.
Last Data Row	Indicate which row should Navicat stop reading the actual data. If no field names are defined for the file, enter 1 for First Data Row and 0 for Field Name Row.
Date Order	Specify the sequence format for dates (e.g., YMD, DMY, MDY).
Date Time Order	Specify how the date, time, and time zone values are ordered and arranged when combined within a single data field.
Date Delimiter	Specify the separator character used inside dates (e.g., / or -).
Year Delimiter	Specify the separator character used inside year (e.g., :).
Time Delimiter	Specify the separator character used inside time (e.g., :).
Decimal Symbol	Specify the decimal separator used for fractional numbers (e.g., . or ,).
Binary Data Encoding	Determine how raw binary blocks are imported from your file (e.g., parsed as Base64 encoded strings or handled with no encoding).

Adjust Field Mappings / Structures

During the import setup, Navicat automatically evaluates your source data and applies assumptions regarding target field types and maximum data lengths. However, you can manually override these defaults by selecting your preferred data types directly from the drop-down menus.

Custom Field Formats

While global formatting rules exist, you can override them on a per-column basis to handle mixed data layouts. To configure individual formatting rules, right-click a field in the list, select Custom Field Format, and adjust the options:

Option	Description
Date Order	Specify the sequence format for dates (e.g., YMD, DMY, MDY).
Date Time Order	Specify how the date, time, and time zone values are ordered and arranged when combined within a single data field.
Date Delimiter	Specify the separator character used inside dates (e.g., / or -).
Year Delimiter	Specify the separator character used inside year (e.g., :).
Time Delimiter	Specify the separator character used inside time (e.g., :).
Decimal Symbol	Specify the decimal separator used for fractional numbers (e.g., . or ,).
Binary Data Encoding	Determine how raw binary blocks are imported from your file (e.g., parsed as Base64 encoded strings or handled with no encoding).

Target Alignment & Mapping Operations

When pushing data into an existing table or collection, you must map the incoming source columns to the existing target layout. For faster configuration, right-click anywhere on the mapping grid to use the quick-map utilities:

Option	Description
Match All by Name	Automatically pair columns that share identical or highly similar names between the source and target.
Match All by Position	Map the source columns straight across to the target columns based on their sequential order, regardless of their names.
Clear All Matches	Clear all current mappings across the entire grid to let you build assignments entirely from scratch.

Duplicate Field Mappings

If you need to route a single source data column into multiple different columns within your target table or collection, you can duplicate its mapping rule. Simply right-click the desired field in the mapping grid and select Duplicate Field Mapping to create a copy of that column's configuration.

Filtering Source Rows (ODBC Imports)

If your data source is connected via an ODBC driver, you can pre-filter incoming records to save processing time and bandwidth. Click the Condition Query button to open a dedicated filter window where you can write custom filtering criteria.

Select Import Mode

The import mode determines how incoming data is applied to your target destination.

Import Mode	Description
Append	Add new records directly to the end of the destination table.
Update	Modify existing records in the destination table when they match records found in the source.
Append/Update	Update a destination record if it already exists; otherwise, insert it as a new record.
Append without update	Insert a record if it doesn't exist in the destination table; skip it entirely if a match is found.
Delete	Remove records from the destination table that match records in the source data.
Copy	Wipe and delete all existing records in the destination table, then fully repopulate it with the source data.

Save Profile

You can save your settings as a profile for future use or for setting up automation tasks.