Opening dBase Files (.dbf)

There are several ways to open dBase files (.dbf) in Database Tour:

1. Opening through connection string. Select ADO interface, then choose Connection string option and write a connection string. This way is very flexible and allows to specify additional parameters in the connection string and override standard Database Tour connection behavior. It is recommended for advanced users. Here are basic connection strings (more examples and details can be found in the Internet):

Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;dBase 5.0;DATABASE=C:\MyDBaseFolder;

Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;dBase IV;DATABASE=C:\MyDBaseFolder;

Provider=MSDASQL.1;Extended Properties="DefaultDir=C:\MyDBaseFolder;Driver={Microsoft dBase Driver (*.dbf)};DriverId=277;"

Provider=MSDASQL.1;Data Source=DBF_DATA;Extended Properties="DSN=DBF_DATA;DefaultDir=C:\MyDBaseFolder;DriverId=533;FIL=dBase 5.0;"

Provider=Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0;Data Source=c:\MyDBaseFolder;Extended Properties=dBASE IV;   (Microsoft ACE must be installed)

2. Opening through ODBC DSN. Create (if it does not exist yet) an ODBC DSN of the corresponding type using Windows administrative tools, and point it to the database. Then:

- Select FD interface, click ODBC, then point the Data source parameter to the ODBC DSN by selecting it from the drop-down list.

or

- Select ADO or BDE interface, then choose ODBC data source option and then select the needed ODBC DSN from the drop-down list.

3. Opening through BDE alias. Select BDE interface, then choose Alias option and then select the needed alias from the drop-down list. But first, you should create the alias of type STANDARD using BDE Administrator tool or Tools | BDE | Aliases menu of Database Tour, and point it to the folder where the files are located.

4. Opening by specifying file name. Select ADO or BDE interface, then choose File option and then browse for the needed file.

5. Opening by specifying folder name. Select ADO or BDE interface, then choose Folder option, select a driver from the drop-down list, and then browse for the needed folder.

Notes

1. Recommended interface for this data source type is BDE.
2. When choosing the ODBC option, please make sure the corresponding ODBC driver installed and the bit-version of it matches the bit-version of the application (32 or 64).

See also

Examples of ADO Connection Strings