Apart from what sea and RudiC already said (and which i can wholeheartedly agree with) here are some other things to consider:

Code:

export variable=value

is a quite common malpractice but still a malpractice. "export" is a command (in fact a "reserved word") and a variable declaration is a command. You cannot and should not mix that up. Do it this way:

Code:

variable=value
export variable

or, if you insist on one line:

Code:

variable=value ; export variable

btw., the effect of "export" on a variable is lasting. You do not need the also oftenly seen:

Code:

variable=value ; export variable
variable=newvalue ; export variable
variable=othervalue ; export variable
....

Once a variable is exported, it stays exported ("exported" means: its current value is copied to the environment of any child process it creates) and if you change its value then this new value instead of the old one would be copied to a newly inherited child.

If you "dot-execute" a script like this:

Code:

. /some/script.sh

this means that it is executed in the current envrronment instead of creating a new one at the start which is closed at the end (which is the default). This is why changes to the environment are lasting. On the other hand you can use any shell device there is, including control structures. You could accept a parameter and set your environment accordingly, like in the following sketch:

Code:

#! /bin/ksh

if [ $# -ne 0 ] ; then
     print -u2 - "Error: provide a parameter!"
     exit 2
fi

case "$1" in
     "one")
          user=userone
          database=dbone
          password=pwone
          ;;

     "two")
          user=usertwo
          database=dbtwo
          password=pwtwo
          ;;

     "three")
          user=userthree
          database=dbthree
          password=pwthree
          ;;

     *)
          print -u2 - "Error: unkown value, use only \"one\", \"two\" or \"three\","
          exit 1
          ;;

esac

exit 0

which you would call in this way:

Code:

. /path/to/script one
. /path/to/script two
. /path/to/script three

I hope this helps.

bakunin