Copyright: Copyright 1997-98 Elevate Software


Contents
DBISAM BDE Database Transfer Utility

Shipping Release 1.05

The DBISAM BDE Database Transfer Utility is designed to provide a method of transferring existing BDE local database tables in Paradox, dBase, or FoxPro formats into the DBISAM format.  Any differences between the BDE database formats and the DBISAM format are handled automatically through prompts during the transfer process.  Please make sure that you take a moment to go through the Before You Begin topic before using the BDE Database Transfer Utility.

 Before You Begin

 Using the Utility

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Delphi, BDE, Database Desktop, dBase, and Paradox are trademarks of Inprise Corporation (formerly Borland International)

Windows, Windows 95, Windows NT, Microsoft Exhange, FoxPro and Access are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation

DBISAM is a trademark of Elevate Software


Before You Begin

There are some issues to consider before using the BDE Database Transfer Utility.  These issues are covered in the following topics.

Issue	Notes

Missing Primary Indexes	If a table does not contain a primary index the transfer utility will automatically add a primary index based upon an auto-increment field called RecordID that will also be automatically added. This field is an auto-incrementing record ID.  You are free to replace this field using the Restructure facilities available in the DBISAM Database System Utility (DBSYS.EXE).  A message will be displayed during the transfer informing you when a primary index was not found.

dBase Expression Indexes	Only dBase expression indexes that do not use functions like DTOS() and STR() will be transferred.  For example, if you had an expression index that contained the index key expression ORDERNO+ITEMNO, this expression index will be converted over with no problem.  A message will be displayed during the transfer informing you when an expression index cannot be transferred and the reason why it cannot be transferred.

dBase Typed Binary BLOB Fields	A lot of times dBase BLOB fields that contain pictures (bitmaps) will be transferred as TBlobFields (Typed Binary field type) which prevents Delphi from properly identifying the field as a TGraphicField.  If this occurs simply use the Restructure facilities in the DBISAM Database System Utility (DBSYS.EXE) to convert the field type to a Graphic field.

OLE BLOB Fields	Both Paradox and dBase OLE BLOB fields will be transferred over as TBlobFields.  Please note that this does not affect the contents of the BLOB field at all.

Min/max Validity Checks 	Currently the min/max validity check information for Paradox or Visual dBase 7 tables is not being transferred, only the required checks.  Keep this in mind when transferring your data.

Encrypted Tables	If you are transferring over an encrypted Paradox or dBase table to DBISAM the encryption and password will not be in effect for the new DBISAM data file.  You must first execute the transfer and then use the DBISAM Database System Utility (DBSYS.EXE) to restructure the data file and encrypt it with a password.

Other than those six items, all data should transfer without a problem.  If you encounter any issues that you need help with please contact us via normal technical support methods and we'll be glad to provide assistance.


Using the Utility

To get any help on using the BDE Database Transfer Utility while using the interface, simply right-click on any portion of the interface to get further popup help on that particular topic.

Complete the following steps to properly transfer BDE database tables into the DBISAM data format:

1	Select the drive and directory where the source BDE database tables are located using the drive combo box and the directory list box on the left hand side of the main window

2	Select the source BDE tables from the list box in the middle of the window, which will list the available BDE database tables located in the selected drive and directory

3	Select the drive and directory where the destination DBISAM data files should be created using the drive combo box and the directory list box on the right hand side of the main window

4	Click on the Begin Transfer button to start the transfer process

Tip

You may select multiple BDE database tables by holding down the CTRL key and clicking on the desired BDE database tables with the left mouse button.  You may also select a range of BDE database tables by holding down the SHIFT key and clicking on the last BDE database table in the range you wish to select.

Note

Any existing DBISAM data files that correspond to the same root BDE database table name (the filename without the extension) will be overwritten without any warning, so it's a good idea to always use a temporary or empty directory for the destination DBISAM data files.


Source Drive and Directory
Use the drive combo box and the directory list box  to select the source directory where the BDE local database tables are stored.


Select Paradox / dBase Tables
Use the files list box to select the source BDE database tables that you wish to convert to the DBISAM data format. Only BDE database tables with an extension of .DBF (dBase or FoxPro) or .DB (Paradox) will be shown. You may select multiple BDE database tables by holding down the CTRL key and clicking on the desired BDE database tables with the left mouse button.  You may also select a range of BDE database tables by holding down the SHIFT key and clicking on the last BDE database table in the range you wish to select.


Destination Drive and Directory
Use the drive combo box and the directory list box  to select the destination directory where the new DBISAM data files will be stored after the transfer process is complete.


Begin Transfer
Click on the Begin Transfer button to start the transfer process for the selected BDE database tables.  Once the transfer is complete a message will be displayed indicating that the transfer completed successfully.


Close
Click on the Close Button to close the BDE Database Transfer Utility and return to the operating system.


Help
Click on the Help button to access this help file.


Status Bar
The status bar will display progress messages indicating the current BDE database being transferred.


About Button
Click on the About button to display a dialog containing the version information.


About Close Button
Click on this button to close the About box and return to the main window.


About Version Information
The current version information for this copy of the BDE Database Transfer Utility.