---
title: "Export and import"
url: "https://docs.yugabyte.com/stable/manage/backup-restore/export-import-data-ycql/"
---

# Export and import

Export and import for YCQL

- [YSQL](/stable/manage/backup-restore/export-import-data-ysql)
- [YCQL](/stable/manage/backup-restore/export-import-data-ycql)

You use the ycqlsh script to export and import YCQL data. For details on how to use the script to connect to a YugabyteDB cluster, as well as the full list of available options, see [ycqlsh reference](/stable/api/ycqlsh/ "ycqlsh reference").

## Export schema

You use the `DESCRIBE` command (abbreviated to `DESC`) to export the schema.

To export the schema of a single keyspace, run the following command:

```sh
./bin/ycqlsh -e "DESC KEYSPACE <keyspace_name>" > <file>
```

- *keyspace\_name* is the name of the keyspace to be exported.
- *file* is the path to the resulting CQL script file.

To export the schema of every keyspace, run the following command:

```sh
ycqlsh -e "DESC SCHEMA" > <file>
```

*file* is the path to the resulting CQL script file.

## Export data

To export your data, use the `COPY TO` command that queries all rows of the specified table and writes into a comma-separated values (CSV) file.

The following is a full syntax of the `COPY TO` command:

```output.sql
COPY table_name [( column_list )]
TO 'file_name'[, 'file2_name', ...] | STDIN
[WITH option = 'value' [AND ...]]
```

- *table\_name* is the name of the table to be exported.
- *column\_list* is an optional comma-separated list of column names.
- *file\_name* is the name of the file to which to export the data.

The command supports multiple options. The following table outlines some of the more commonly used ones.

Option Description Default value 

`DELIMITER` Field separator character. `,` (comma) 

`HEADER` If true, output column names as the first row of data. `false` 

`PAGESIZE` Page size for fetching results. 1000 

`PAGETIMEOUT` Page timeout for fetching results. 10 

`MAXREQUESTS` Maximum number of requests each worker processes in parallel. 6 

`MAXOUTPUTSIZE` Maximum number of lines in the output file.  
When set, the output file is split into segments no larger than this value.  
Use `-1` for no maximum. -1

## Import schema

To import a schema, use the `SOURCE` command, as follows:

```sh
ycqlsh -e "SOURCE '<file>'"
```

*file* is the path to the CQL script file from which to import the schema.

## Import data

After you import the schema, use the `COPY FROM` command to import the actual data from one or more CSV files.

The following is a full syntax of the `COPY FROM` command:

```output.sql
COPY table_name [( column_list )]
FROM 'file_name'[, 'file2_name', ...] | STDIN
[WITH option = 'value' [AND ...]]
```

- *table\_name* is the name of the *destination* table.
- *column\_list* is an optional comma-separated list of column names.
- *file\_name* is the name of the file from which to import the data.

The following table lists commonly-used options.

Option Description Default 

`DELIMITER` Field separator character. `,` (comma) 

`HEADER` If true, the first row of data contains column names. `false` 

`CHUNKSIZE` Maximum number of rows each insert. 1000 

`INGESTRATE` Desired ingestion rate in rows per second.  
Must be greater than `CHUNKSIZE`. 100000