A script that exports tables from a MDB (Access database) file to SQL files

export_tables

# Script that exports tables from a MDB (Access database) file to SQL files
# Required:
#   mdbtools (apt-get install mdbtools)
#   a folder sql_tables in the script directory

### Usage
# create a folder in the current directory called sql_tables
# run this script like the following
# python export_tables.py ACCESS_DATABASE.MDB table1,table2,"My Table 3",other_table
# Done.

import os
import sys
from subprocess import Popen

database = sys.argv[1]
tables = sys.argv[2].split(',')
CURRENT_DIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath('__FILE__'))
SQL_FOLDER_PATH = os.path.join(CURRENT_DIR, 'sql_tables')

for table in tables:
    filepath = os.path.join(SQL_FOLDER_PATH, table + '.sql')
    print "Loading {} at {}".format(table, filepath)

    # exports to a file
    cmd = 'mdb-export -D "%B %d, %Y" -q "\'" -I postgres ' \
          '{0} "{1}" >> "{2}"'.format(database, table, filepath)

    # exports directly to postgres
    # cmd = 'mdb-export -D "%B %d, %Y" -q "\'" -I postgres ' \
    #       '{} "{}" | psql -d sadp2 -U sadp2 -W -h localhost'.format(database, 
    #                                                               table)
    process = Popen(cmd, shell=True, executable='/bin/bash')
    process.wait()