diff --git a/metabase-exporter/Config.cs b/metabase-exporter/Config.cs
index 6832744..a15051b 100644
--- a/metabase-exporter/Config.cs
+++ b/metabase-exporter/Config.cs
@@ -33,11 +33,13 @@ public sealed record Import: Config
         {
             public string InputFilename { get; }
             public IReadOnlyDictionary<DatabaseId, DatabaseId> DatabaseMapping { get; }
+            public IReadOnlyList<DatabaseId> IgnoredDatabases { get; }
 
-            public Import(MetabaseApiSettings MetabaseApiSettings, string inputFilename, IReadOnlyDictionary<DatabaseId, DatabaseId> databaseMapping): base(MetabaseApiSettings)
+            public Import(MetabaseApiSettings MetabaseApiSettings, string inputFilename, IReadOnlyDictionary<DatabaseId, DatabaseId> databaseMapping, IReadOnlyList<DatabaseId> ignoredDatabases): base(MetabaseApiSettings)
             {
                 InputFilename = inputFilename;
                 DatabaseMapping = databaseMapping;
+                IgnoredDatabases = ignoredDatabases;
             }
 
             public override T Switch<T>(Func<Export, T> export, Func<Import, T> import, Func<TestQuestions, T> testQuestions) =>
diff --git a/metabase-exporter/MetabaseApiImport.cs b/metabase-exporter/MetabaseApiImport.cs
index e9dce99..f366554 100644
--- a/metabase-exporter/MetabaseApiImport.cs
+++ b/metabase-exporter/MetabaseApiImport.cs
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 using System;
 using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.Collections.Immutable;
 using System.Linq;
 using System.Text;
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
@@ -14,14 +15,10 @@ public static class MetabaseApiImport
         /// <summary>
         /// Imports Metabase data. DELETES all current dashboards/questions/etc.
         /// </summary>
-        /// <param name="api"></param>
-        /// <param name="state"></param>
-        /// <param name="databaseMapping"></param>
-        /// <returns></returns>
-        public static async Task Import(this MetabaseApi api, MetabaseState state, IReadOnlyDictionary<DatabaseId, DatabaseId> databaseMapping)
+        public static async Task Import(this MetabaseApi api, MetabaseState state, IReadOnlyDictionary<DatabaseId, DatabaseId> databaseMapping, IReadOnlyList<DatabaseId> ignoredDatabases)
         {
             // firstly check that the database mapping is complete and correct
-            await api.ValidateDatabaseMapping(state, databaseMapping);
+            await api.ValidateDatabaseMapping(state, databaseMapping, ignoredDatabases);
 
             // now map/create collections then cards then dashboards
 
@@ -38,7 +35,7 @@ public static async Task Import(this MetabaseApi api, MetabaseState state, IRead
             var partialCardMapping = await state.Cards
                 .Traverse(async cardFromState => {
                     var source = cardFromState.Id;
-                    var target = await api.MapAndCreateCard(cardFromState, collectionMapping, databaseMapping);
+                    var target = await api.MapAndCreateCard(cardFromState, collectionMapping, databaseMapping, ignoredDatabases);
                     var mapping = new Mapping<CardId?>(source: source, target: target?.Id);
                     return mapping;
                 });
@@ -56,10 +53,20 @@ public static async Task Import(this MetabaseApi api, MetabaseState state, IRead
             Console.WriteLine("Done importing");
         }
 
-        static void ValidateSourceDatabaseMapping(MetabaseState state, IReadOnlyDictionary<DatabaseId, DatabaseId> databaseMapping)
+        static void ValidateSourceDatabaseMapping(MetabaseState state, IReadOnlyDictionary<DatabaseId, DatabaseId> databaseMapping, IReadOnlyList<DatabaseId> ignoredDatabases)
         {
+            var definedIgnoredDatabases = databaseMapping.Keys.Intersect(ignoredDatabases).ToImmutableList();
+            if (definedIgnoredDatabases.Count > 0)
+            {
+                throw new Exception("Databases marked as ignored but also defined in mappings: " + string.Join(", ", definedIgnoredDatabases));
+            }
+            
             var allDatabaseIds = state.Cards.SelectMany(c => new[] { c.DatabaseId, c.DatasetQuery.DatabaseId });
-            var missingDatabaseIdsInMapping = allDatabaseIds.Where(x => databaseMapping.ContainsKey(x) == false).Distinct().ToList();
+            var missingDatabaseIdsInMapping = allDatabaseIds
+                .Where(x => databaseMapping.ContainsKey(x) == false)
+                .Distinct()
+                .Except(ignoredDatabases)
+                .ToList();
             if (missingDatabaseIdsInMapping.Count > 0)
             {
                 throw new Exception("Missing databases in mapping: " + string.Join(",", missingDatabaseIdsInMapping));
@@ -77,9 +84,9 @@ static async Task ValidateTargetDatabaseMapping(this MetabaseApi api, IReadOnlyD
             }
         }
 
-        static async Task ValidateDatabaseMapping(this MetabaseApi api, MetabaseState state, IReadOnlyDictionary<DatabaseId, DatabaseId> databaseMapping)
+        static async Task ValidateDatabaseMapping(this MetabaseApi api, MetabaseState state, IReadOnlyDictionary<DatabaseId, DatabaseId> databaseMapping, IReadOnlyList<DatabaseId> ignoredDatabases)
         {
-            ValidateSourceDatabaseMapping(state, databaseMapping);
+            ValidateSourceDatabaseMapping(state, databaseMapping, ignoredDatabases);
             await api.ValidateTargetDatabaseMapping(databaseMapping);
         }
 
@@ -191,13 +198,20 @@ static async Task<IReadOnlyList<Mapping<Collection>>> MapAndCreateCollections(th
             return collectionMapping;
         }
 
-        static async Task<Card> MapAndCreateCard(this MetabaseApi api, Card cardFromState, IReadOnlyList<Mapping<Collection>> collectionMapping, IReadOnlyDictionary<DatabaseId, DatabaseId> databaseMapping)
+        static async Task<Card> MapAndCreateCard(this MetabaseApi api, Card cardFromState, IReadOnlyList<Mapping<Collection>> collectionMapping, IReadOnlyDictionary<DatabaseId, DatabaseId> databaseMapping, IReadOnlyList<DatabaseId> ignoredDatabases)
         {
             if (cardFromState.DatasetQuery.Native == null)
             {
                 Console.WriteLine("WARNING: skipping card because it does not have a SQL definition: " + cardFromState.Name);
                 return null;
             }
+
+            if (ignoredDatabases.Contains(cardFromState.DatabaseId))
+            {
+                Console.WriteLine("WARNING: skipping card because database is marked as ignored: " + cardFromState.Name);
+                return null;
+            }
+            
             Console.WriteLine($"Creating card '{cardFromState.Name}'");
             if (cardFromState.CollectionId.HasValue)
             {
diff --git a/metabase-exporter/Program.cs b/metabase-exporter/Program.cs
index 77638fb..d7cfc18 100644
--- a/metabase-exporter/Program.cs
+++ b/metabase-exporter/Program.cs
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ static async Task Import(this MetabaseApi api, Config.Import import)
         {
             var rawState = File.ReadAllText(import.InputFilename);
             var state = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<MetabaseState>(rawState);
-            await api.Import(state, import.DatabaseMapping);
+            await api.Import(state, import.DatabaseMapping, import.IgnoredDatabases);
             Console.WriteLine($"Done importing from {import.InputFilename} into {import.MetabaseApiSettings.MetabaseApiUrl}");
         }
 
@@ -58,8 +58,9 @@ static Config ParseConfig(IConfiguration rawConfig)
                 {
                     throw new Exception("Missing InputFilename config");
                 }
+                var ignoreDatabases = ParseIgnoreDatabases(rawConfig);
                 var databaseMapping = ParseDatabaseMapping(rawConfig);
-                return new Config.Import(apiSettings, inputFilename, databaseMapping);
+                return new Config.Import(apiSettings, inputFilename, databaseMapping, ignoreDatabases);
             }
             else if (StringComparer.InvariantCultureIgnoreCase.Equals(command, "export"))
             {
@@ -82,6 +83,23 @@ static Config ParseConfig(IConfiguration rawConfig)
             throw new Exception($"Invalid command '{command}', must be either 'import' or 'export' or 'test-questions'");
         }
 
+        static IReadOnlyList<DatabaseId> ParseIgnoreDatabases(IConfiguration rawConfig)
+        {
+            return (rawConfig["IgnoreDatabases"] ?? "")
+                .Split(",")
+                .Select(x => {
+                    try
+                    {
+                        return new DatabaseId(int.Parse(x));
+                    }
+                    catch (Exception e)
+                    {
+                        throw new Exception($"Invalid IgnoreDatabases value: '{x}'", e);
+                    }
+                })
+                .ToList();
+        }
+
         static IReadOnlyDictionary<DatabaseId, DatabaseId> ParseDatabaseMapping(IConfiguration rawConfig)
         {
             var rawDatabaseMapping = rawConfig.GetSection("DatabaseMapping");