Replacing data in rows
You can find text in a table and replace it with different text. For example, if you change the name of a product, you can search a table and replace the old name with the new one. The replacement can occur in a different field than the find string is in.
For example, suppose you assign a salesperson to a different sales territory and want to update the SALESPERSON field for all customers in that territory. Rather than update each customer row individually, you could simply select all the customer rows in that territory, then replace the SALESPERSON field in those rows only.
Important
Updating indexed fields in the master index can yield unpredictable results because changing the key value changes the row position—as well as the row pointer—in the index. Use a different master index instead. In addition, changing key values in related tables can result in orphaned rows in the child table. Therefore, carefully consider the implications of updating rows, and make a backup copy of your tables before proceeding.
To replace rows,
Select the table, then choose Table|Replace Rows. The Replace Rows dialog box appears.
Complete the dialog box.
The replacement value you specify must match the data type of the selected replace field. Make sure that the value fits in the field.
In character fields, if the text is too long for the field, it is truncated.
In number fields, if the value exceeds the field size, the fields fill with asterisks.
In memo fields, the existing memo text is overwritten with the replacement text. The replacement text must be in character format.
Once you’ve specified the replacement text, do one of the following:
Choose Find to find the next occurrence of the search text. Then choose Replace to replace it, or choose Find to leave it alone and go to the next occurrence.
Choose Replace All to replace all occurrences of the search text.