Table of Contents
Configuring a database connection for metadata import and export
13. January 2026
Table of Contents
This topic explains how to configure a database connection using ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) in Fotostation. Such a connection can be used to look up text records in a database, insert them into the metadata of the files in your archive, and write metadata back to the database. It can also be used to import text from a database and apply it to files in a specific folder.
Creating a database connection
Connecting Fotostation to a database is done in the program configuration. To access it: go to File (Fotostation menu on the Mac) > Configuration, then expand the Metadata node in the configuration tree and select the Database connections node. If no connection has been made previously, Fotostation will suggest creating one.
A connection to an existing database is made by specifying a Data Source Name (DSN). Configuring a System DSN is beyond the scope of this manual, but you can configure it using the ODBC Data Source Administrator, which is available by searching for ODBC Data Sources in the Windows Start menu.
After naming the connection in Fotostation and specifying a DSN and username/password (if required), select Configure to set up a mapping between the database and metadata fields.
Mapping database and metadata fields
The screenshot above shows the dialog that allows you to set up the mapping of database columns (on the left) to metadata fields (on the right). Doing this will enable a metadata editor in Fotostation to look up a specific database field and insert its contents into the associated text field. By mapping several columns to metadata fields, Fotostation can automatically fill in associated fields from the same record. In the example above, the database contains a list of countries and associated country codes. By mapping these fields to the Country and Country Code metadata fields, as shown above, and making slight adjustments in a text editor, it is possible to look up either database field and automatically fill in the associated field.
To enter information in a field in the Fotostation text editor and save it to the database, you must specify a primary key. Select a unique field, such as one containing a running number.
To save the ODBC connection, select OK and close the Fotostation configuration dialog.