I was currently working in a project and realized that I was using the wrong data template file (.gdt). Is there a way to update the .gdt file without starting the entire project over?
Hi Darius,
You can use the convert projects utility under Utilities to convert a project to a new datatemplate, but I say this with EXTREME CAUTION. Convert projects will only convert the old structure to the new one. If there are tables and fields in the old structure that don't exist in the new structure then they will be eliminated, including any data. Convert projects is best used when one structure just has additional tables and fields and you don't want to have to add them in manually.
So it really depends on how different the two structures are. You could also write a correspondence file to import from one structure to another. But just for a one time shot not sure that would be worth the effort.
My recommendation is just to create a new blank project from the correct structure. Then import the data from the other project The import log will tell you what didn't import and then you can just add that data in.
Bottom line if the two structures a extremely different it may just be better to start fresh. If they are somewhat close you can import from one to another and then look at what didn't come in and retype or copy/paste.
You could write a correspondence file, but the amount of time it would take to do it , would probably outweigh just doing it over unless you need a permanent way to import data from one structure to another and would need to use it again later. If you think you may want to write a correspondence file here is a guide