How to Skip Columns When Importing CSV Data into MySQL?

Importing CSV Data into MySQL Table While Skipping Columns

In many data processing scenarios, you may encounter situations where you need to import data from a CSV file into a MySQL table, but not all columns in the CSV file correspond to columns in the target table. This article will guide you through the issue of how to skip columns in a CSV file during data import into a MySQL table using the LOAD DATA INFILE command.

Problem Statement

You have a CSV file with more columns than your MySQL table, and you need to map certain columns from the CSV file to specific columns in the MySQL table while skipping others. The challenge lies in configuring the import command to ignore the unwanted columns.

Solution

To skip columns during data import using LOAD DATA INFILE, you can utilize a combination of field delimiters and column mapping. The LOAD DATA INFILE command supports setting field delimiters, allowing you to specify a character that separates individual values in the CSV file. By setting field delimiters appropriately, you can effectively skip the columns you don't need.

Here's a modified version of your LOAD DATA INFILE command that will skip the unwanted columns in your CSV file:

LOAD DATA LOCAL INFILE 'filename.csv' INTO TABLE my_table
FIELDS TERMINATED BY ','
ENCLOSED BY ''
LINES TERMINATED BY '\n'
(col1, @dummy1, col2, @dummy2, col3, @dummy3, col4, @dummy4, col5, @dummy5, col6, @dummy6, col7, @dummy7, col8, @dummy8, col9, @dummy9, col10, @dummy10, col11)

In this modified command, we have introduced a new syntax: (col1, @dummy1, col2, @dummy2, ... col11). This syntax allows us to specify the mapping between columns in the CSV file and the columns in the MySQL table. By assigning the unwanted columns to user variables prefixed with @dummy (e.g., @dummy1, @dummy2, etc.), we effectively instruct MySQL to discard the values from those columns and not load them into the table.

By following this approach, you can successfully import data from your CSV file into your MySQL table, mapping only the desired columns and skipping those that are not required.

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