# Import/restore/open an existing database into Adabas

**URL:** <https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/import-restore-open-an-existing-database-into-adabas/196998>\
**Category:** Forum\
**Tags:** Adabas-Natural, Adabas, Adabas-Basics-on-Linux-Unix-Windows, Adabas-on-Windows-UNIX, Adabas-on-Linux\
**Created:** [November 1, 2017, 3:18pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/import-restore-open-an-existing-database-into-adabas/196998 "2017-11-01T15:18:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Dave\_Lampert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/43a26b/32.png) [@Dave\_Lampert](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Dave_Lampert)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2017, 3:18pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/import-restore-open-an-existing-database-into-adabas/196998/1 "2017-11-01T15:18:01Z")

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I was able to download the Adabas community edition (AMN823\_ADA642-Community-Edition-With-F3), install, configure, and run the Adabas Manager 8.2, so I can finally see the demo database (#149), but now I’m trying to open an existing Adabas database from another system. I have the Windows files (\*.bin, \*.pnt, \*.ddm, \*.fdt), but do I copy them into a partcular Windows folder, or use a feature somehow to bring those databases in and online? I also saw documented the %ADADATADIR% variable, that I assume would contain a path to where Adabas stores databases on the hard disk, but that variable isn’t defined in my environment, and I can’t even find where it’s physically storing the 149 database. Please help!

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**Author:** ![Ralph\_Zbrog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/user_avatar/techcommunity.softwareag.com/ralph_zbrog/32/78_2.png) [@Ralph\_Zbrog](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Ralph_Zbrog)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2017, 6:57pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/import-restore-open-an-existing-database-into-adabas/196998/2 "2017-11-01T18:57:56Z")

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ADABAS CE sees only local databases.

- Use Adabas Manager to create a new database.

- Use utility ADABCK DUMP (or ADAORD EXPORT) to create a backup of an existing database.

- Use ADABCK RESTORE (or ADAORD IMPORT) to restore the backup into the new database.

- You might need to expand the demo database to fit the backup.

- The Community Edition imposes a database size limit, so your existing databases might be too large.

Adabas Manager should then see the new database.

To find where the database components reside, perform a Windows file search for ASSO1.149, DATA1.149, and DB149.INI.

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/original/3X/c/d/cd19967bb605d28a72d77eb83a1cae22f3df2eb8.svg) [@system](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2021, 3:39pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/import-restore-open-an-existing-database-into-adabas/196998/3 "2021-04-02T15:39:33Z")

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