# Category/Topic export fails with error "database "discourse\_development" does not exist"

**URL:** <https://meta.discourse.org/t/category-topic-export-fails-with-error-database-discourse-development-does-not-exist/42938>\
**Category:** Support\
**Created:** [April 21, 2016, 2:23pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/category-topic-export-fails-with-error-database-discourse-development-does-not-exist/42938 "2016-04-21T14:23:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 4

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**Author:** ![pacharanero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/pacharanero/32/500583_2.png) [@pacharanero](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pacharanero)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2016, 12:37pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/category-topic-export-fails-with-error-database-discourse-development-does-not-exist/42938/4 "2016-04-22T12:37:27Z")

</div>

I’ve now had chance to test the ‘round trip’ of exporting a Category from one Discourse instance and importing it into a different one. Using @zogstrip’s advice above this worked perfectly.

##on the ‘source’ instance:

```
cd /var/discourse
launcher enter app
discourse export_category [category_number]

```

## transferring the .json file

I transferred the file from the ‘source’ to ‘destination’ instance using a 2-step process:

1. SFTP from inside the Docker container to the ‘destination’ server and copy the export file to somewhere on the ‘destination’ server filesystem (but remember that this is _outside_ the Docker container)
2. Copy this file into the Docker container with `sudo cp path-file-host /var/lib/docker/aufs/mnt/FULL_CONTAINER_ID/PATH-NEW-FILE` (get container ID from `docker ps` from where you get the short CID, then `docker inspect -f '{{.Id}}' [short CID]` which returns the long CID. Thanks to [this thread](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/22907231/copying-files-from-host-to-docker-container) for the help with that.

I know that Docker 1.8 lets you use `docker cp` but I’m currently on Docker 1.7 and didn’t want to break anything by upgrading right when I need everything to work!

For my own education, I’d be really interested to hear if there is a more elegant or even single-step way of transferring the .json file across from the Docker Container in ‘source’ to inside the Docker Container in ‘destination’.

#on the ‘destination’ machine:

```
cd /var/discourse
./launcher enter app
cd [to wherever you put the .json file in your destination's Docker container]
discourse import_category [json file]

```

Marcus

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_[View the full topic](https://meta.discourse.org/t/category-topic-export-fails-with-error-database-discourse-development-does-not-exist/42938)._