13.2.5 IMPORT TABLE Statement IMPORT TABLE Statement 2628 IMPORT TABLE FROM  sdi_file  [,  sdi_file ] ... The  IMPORT TABLE  statement imports  MyISAM  tables based on information contained in  .sdi  (serialized dictionary information) metadata files.  IMPORT TABLE  requires the  FILE  privilege to read the  .sdi  and table content files, and the  CREATE  privilege for the table to be created. Tables can be exported from one server using  mysqldump  to write a file of SQL statements and imported into another server using  mysql  to process the dump file.  IMPORT TABLE  provides a faster alternative using the “raw”  table files. Prior to import, the files that provide the table content must be placed in the appropriate schema directory for the import server, and the  .sdi  file must be located in a directory accessible to the server. For example, the  .sdi  file can be placed in the directory named by the  secure_file_priv  system variable, or (if  secure_file_priv  is empty) in a directory under the server data directory. The following example describes how to export  MyISAM  tables named  employees  and  managers from the  hr  schema of one server and import them into the  hr  schema of another server. The example uses these assumptions (to perform a similar operation on your own system, modify the path names as appropriate): To export tables from the export server, use this procedure: mysql>  FLUSH TABLES hr.employees, hr.managers WITH READ LOCK; shell>  cd  export_basedir /data/hr shell>  cp employees_125.sdi /tmp/export shell>  cp managers_238.sdi /tmp/export shell>  cp employees.{MYD,MYI} /tmp/export Given those file names, the copy commands look like this: •For a  MyISAM  table, the content files are its  .MYD  data file and  .MYI  index file. •The  .sdi  file is located in the  hr  schema directory, but might not have exactly the same basename as the table name. For example, the  .sdi  files for the  employees  and  managers  tables might be named  employees_125.sdi  and  managers_238.sdi . 2. At the file system level, copy the  .sdi  and table content files from the  hr  schema directory to the secure export directory: 1. Ensure a consistent snapshot by executing this statement to lock the tables so that they cannot be modified during export: While the lock is in effect, the tables can still be used, but only for read access. •The import server uses  /tmp/mysql-files  as the directory named by its  secure_file_priv system variable. •Table files are exported from the export server into the  /tmp/export  directory and this directory is secure (not accessible to other users). •For the import server,  import_basedir  represents its base directory, and its data directory is import_basedir /data . •For the export server,  export_basedir  represents its base directory, and its data directory is export_basedir /data .