File extension dbf. How to open dbf
Options opening dbf using excel
There are several of them. Note that the dbf format comes in several modifications: dBase II; dBase III; dBase IV; foxpro and several others.
What else can affect the accurate opening of dbf files? This types of documents. And here excel takes a leading place among other programs, and for its ability to open any type of document in dbf format.
The opening part is unique to this format, but saving requires additional explanation.
One way to open dbf file
This is to use the window through which we open the file, in the file menu. This is a fairly simple method, and even without special knowledge you can safely use it.
Step one - open excel, go to “file”, then “open” in the drop-down menu.
further "open" in the drop-down menu.
Thus, we see a familiar window for opening the desired file. We find the file we are interested in, and at the bottom right we put the dBase files, also known as dbf, if the file is still poorly visible, we put “all files”. In this mode required file you will definitely find it in the folder where it should be.
Having selected the file, click "open".
As a result, we will get our dbf file on sheet1 already opened in the excel file.
You can open the file by double-clicking on the file itself.
However, this is possible if you saddle certain settings in excel. And so with the left mouse button we double-click on the file that we want to open in dbf format.
As a result of this action, we will receive a message in which the program will tell us that the result is negative when opening in this way, and will offer its own options for opening the file.
This is either searching for a solution to the problem on the Internet, or choosing the desired program from the proposed list. We activate the program by clicking on “ok” using the proposed list of programs. It is possible that the dbf file may have already been opened by another program. And we need to run the file in Excel, then we use the right mouse button, hovering the cursor over the dbf file, and in the menu we look for “open with”, find this tab, click on it and get the proposed range of programs. We look for Excel and click on the program shortcut.
And if we don’t see the excel program, then click properties, find the “general” shortcut and in the application settings click on “change”, select excel accordingly.
And so we looked at several options for how to open a dbf file in excel.
It should be noted that when working with any of the described methods, you see a file opening window. If Excel is in the list of programs, then click on it. Otherwise, we are looking for “review”,
We activate it and do the manipulations already described above. However, a situation may arise when we activate the “open with” window and see the Explorer window.
In this case, you should go to the folder where the Microsoft program Office and search for excel in it. It's usually easy to find. Changes can only be due to versions of Excel itself. Path C: Program Files Microsoft office office# and for different versions Instead of the # icon, we supply the number of your installed office. We got into our directory, we see there excel file. exe.
We point the mouse at this file and activate it. We will be taken to the already familiar selection list, and here Excel will certainly be visible.
As a result we will get open format dbf to excel.
To further open files in the dbf format, simply click on it with the mouse and check the box in the list of suggestions “always use this program to open these files.”
Click “ok” and the next time, by double-clicking on the file with the mouse, you will automatically get the dbf excel file opened.
As you can see, everything is quite simple and is clearly shown in the pictures.
One of the most popular formats for storing structured data is DBF. This format is universal, that is, it is supported by many DBMS systems and other programs. It is used not only as an element for storing data, but also as a means for exchanging it between applications. Therefore, the issue of opening files with this extension in the Excel spreadsheet becomes quite relevant.
You should know that there are several modifications in the DBF format itself:
- dBase II;
- dBase III;
- dBase IV;
- FoxPro and others
The type of document also affects the correctness of its opening by programs. But it should be noted that Excel supports correct operation with almost all types of DBF files.
It should be said that in most cases Excel copes with opening of this format quite successfully, that is, it opens this document in the same way as this program would open, for example, my “native” xls format. But save files in DBF format standard means Excel stopped after Excel versions 2007. However, this is a topic for a separate lesson.
Method 1: launch through the file open window
One of the simplest and most intuitive options for opening documents with the DBF extension in Excel is to launch them through the file open window.
Method 2: Open by double clicking on the file
Also popular way opening documents is started by double-clicking the left mouse button on the corresponding file. But the fact is that by default, if you don’t specifically register it in system settings, Excel is not associated with the DBF extension. Therefore, without additional manipulations in this way, the file cannot be opened. Let's see how this can be done.
- So, double-click with the left mouse button on the DBF file that you want to open.
- If on this computer In the system settings, the DBF format is not associated with any program, then a window will open that will inform you that the file could not be opened. It will offer options for action:
- Search for matches on the Internet;
- Selecting a program from the list of installed programs.
Since it is implied that table processor Microsoft Excel we already have it installed, then move the switch to the second position and click on the key "OK" at the bottom of the window.
If this extension is already associated with another program, but we want to run it in Excel, then we do things a little differently. Click on the document name right click mice. Starts context menu. Select a position in it "Open with". Another list opens. If it contains a name "Microsoft Excel", then click on it, if you don’t find such a name, then go to the item “Select program...”.
There is another option. Right-click on the document name. In the list that opens after last action, select a position "Properties".
In the opened window "Properties" move to the tab "General", if the launch occurred in some other tab. About the parameter "Application" click on the button "Change…".
- When you select any of these three options, the file open window opens. Again, if the list of recommended programs at the top of the window contains the name "Microsoft Excel", then click on it, and otherwise click on the button "Review…" at the bottom of the window.
- In case of the last action, a window opens in the program directory on the computer "Open with..." in the form of a conductor. In it you need to go to the folder that contains the Excel launch file. The exact path to this folder depends on the version of Excel that you have installed, or rather on the version of the package Microsoft Office. A general path pattern would look like this:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office#
Instead of a symbol «#» you need to enter the version number of your office product. So for Excel 2010 this will be the number "14", and the exact path to the folder will look like this:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14
For Excel 2007 the number will be "12", for Excel 2013 – "15", for Excel 2016 – "16".
So, move to the above directory and look for a file called "EXCEL.EXE". If you do not have extensions displayed on your system, then its name will simply look like "EXCEL". Select this name and click on the button "Open".
- After this, we are automatically transferred again to the program selection window. This time the name "Microsoft Office" It will definitely be displayed here. If the user wishes to this application always opened DBF documents by default double click mouse over them, then you need to make sure that near the parameter “Use the selected program for all files of this type” there is a tick. If you plan only to open a DBF document in Excel once, and then you are going to open this type files in another program, then, on the contrary, this checkbox should be unchecked. After everything specified settings done, click on the button "OK".
- After this the DBF document will be launched into Excel program, and if the user has checked the appropriate place in the program selection window, then now the files this extension will open in Excel automatically after double-clicking on them with the left mouse button.
As you can see, opening DBF files in Excel is quite simple. But, unfortunately, many novice users get confused and don’t know how to do this. For example, they do not think to set the appropriate format in the window for opening a document through the Excel interface. An even greater difficulty for some users is opening DBF documents double click left mouse button, since this requires changing some system settings through the program selection window.
DBF format files store tabular data, databases, various reports, etc. At the head of the structure is the header, and below it is the rest of the file content. Distinctive feature a file with this format is able to work with most known systems database management.
Opening process
You can open DBF format files in several programs. In addition to opening the file in these programs, you can also edit it there.
Program 1: DBF Commander
This paid program, which allows you to open DBF files and perform primitive manipulations with them if necessary. She has trial period, during which the program's capabilities are not limited in any way. The program also has Russian language and a user-friendly interface.
Instructions for opening files in DBF Commander:
Program 2: DBF Viewer Plus
It's a little more simple program, which has a similar interface to the previous software. However, it is completely free and does not require installation. The functionality is almost similar to the previous software.
The step-by-step instructions for this program are as follows:
Program 3: DBF Viewer 2000
This is a program with very simple interface, translated into Russian. It has wide functionality for working with DBF files. Here you can process files larger than 2GB. However, the software is paid, however, it has a trial period during which you can use all the functions without restrictions.
Instructions for opening files in this program are as follows:
Program 4: CDBF
This solution provides very broad functionality for working with databases and their derivative files. In addition to editing database files, you can create various reports and supporting documents. The interface can be translated into Russian, and the functionality can be expanded using third-party plugins from the network. CDBF is a paid program, but at the same time it has both a demo period and a truncated free version, the functionality of which will be sufficient to open DBF files.
Instructions:
Program 5: MS Excel
Excel is one of the programs in the Office suite from Microsoft. In some Windows versions this package along with the program may already be pre-installed, while in others you will have to buy the entire Office package, or use the demo version. This program is designed for creating and editing tables of varying complexity. It supports many formats and also has a convenient and functional interface in Russian.
Instructions for opening a DBF file are as follows:
Using one of the programs presented in the instructions, you can open and edit the DBF file. From the entire list, only DBF Viewer Plus can be distinguished, which is distributed completely free of charge.
Dbf is used in many database applications. Slowly the format developed and acquired new functions. Dbf was the first standard format databases. The dbf format table itself consists of a header, which stores information about the structure and records, as well as the data area in which all records are directly located. Due to the fact that the format is not certified, it is not a fact that any database viewing program will be able to open it. Below is a selection of free programs for working with this file.
What free programs can open a dbf file?
- – simple free program to view and change values of dbf database tables. Additional programs and no utilities other than .NET Framework 2.0 are required.
- – powerful tool to view and edit a table in DBF format. In addition to viewing and editing, DBF Viewer plus provides additional features such as searching a table, exporting a table to various formats. DBF program Viewer provides quite extensive functionality. The editor allows you to open and view DBF files, provides a preview of the file before printing, and has functions for adding, editing, and deleting records. The utility supports searching for records by keyword. If there are many records in the table, you can use the function go to the specified field. The interface has a field displaying the number of records, type of records, language of records, size of records. The utility allows you to hide and show columns, export tables to formats such as CSV, pdf, xls, rtf, AWP, XML and HTML, or leave them in DBF format. In addition, the program allows you to create DBF tables.
dBASE tables: .DBF file structure
DBF - data storage format, used as one of standard methods storage and transmission of information by database management systems, spreadsheets etc.
The DBF file is divided into a header, which stores information about the structure of the database (in new versions - and some other characteristics, such as the code page used) and the number of records and, in fact, the data area, which is a sequentially organized table of fixed-length records. Records, in turn, are divided into fields, also of a fixed length.
The first field is always the deletion mark (1 byte). If it is equal to 2A16 (asterisk symbol), the record is considered to be marked for deletion. Deleted records can be restored or physically deleted by performing a packing operation (PACK xBase command).
Other files can also be associated with DBF files - .DBT (dBase III, IV, Clipper), .FPT ( FoxBASE/FoxPro) and, in some cases, some others designed to store large objects of variable length. .DBT/.FPT files are not independent and cannot be read without a corresponding .DBF file. Therefore, their description is usually included as part of the .DBF format description.
DBF file consists of two parts:
Heading
- actual recordings
Data file header structure for a dBASE III PLUS table.
Table file header |
||
| Byte | Content | Description |
| 0 | 1st byte | Determining the presence of a MEMO file in the dBASE III PLUS table (03h without a MEMO file (.DBT file;) 83h with a MEMO file). |
| 1-3 | 3 bytes | |
| 4-7 | 32-bit number | Number of records in the table |
| 8-9 | 16-bit number | |
| 10-11 | 16-bit number | |
| 12-14 | 3 bytes | Reserved area |
| 15-27 | 13 bytes | |
| 28-31 | 4 bytes | Reserved area |
| 32-n | 32 bytes | |
| n+1 | 1 byte | The value 0Dh is stored, which acts as a terminator for field descriptions |
| Table field description | ||
| Byte | Content | Description |
| 0-10 | 11 bytes | |
| 11 | 1 byte | Field type in ASCII (C, D, L, M or N) |
| 12-15 | 4 bytes | Field data address (memory reference, not disk reference) |
| 16 | 1 byte | |
| 17 | 1 byte | |
| 18-19 | 2 bytes | Reserved for dBASE III PLUS network version |
| 20 | 1 byte | Workspace ID |
| 21-22 | 2 bytes | Reserved for dBASE III PLUS network version |
| 23 | 1 byte | Field Set Flag |
| 24-31 | 1 byte | Reserved area |
Table entries
Binary, MEMO, OLE fields and .DBT files
MEMO fields store data in .DBT files consisting of enumerated sequential blocks (0, 1, 2, etc.). The block size is 512 bytes. The first block in the .DBT file (block zero) is the header of the .DBT file.
This information taken from the dBASE III Plus manual ("Using dBASE III PLUS", Appendix C).
Data file header structure for a dBASE IV 2.0 table.
| File structure | ||
| Byte | Content | Description |
| 0 | 1st byte | dBASE IV file control: bits 0-2 indicate the version number, bit 3 - presence of a dBASE IV MEMO file, bits 4-6 - presence of an SQL table, bit 7 - presence of any MEMO file (or dBASE III Plus, or dBASE IV ) |
| 1-3 | 3 bytes | Date last update in YYMMDD format |
| 4-7 | 32-bit number | Number of records in the table |
| 8-9 | 16-bit number | Number of bytes occupied by the header |
| 10-11 | 16-bit number | Number of bytes occupied by a record |
| 12-13 | 2 bytes | |
| 14 | 1 byte | |
| 15 | 1 byte | Encoding flag |
| 16-27 | 12 bytes | dBASE IV |
| 28 | 1 byte | |
| 29 | 1 byte | Language driver ID |
| 30-31 | 2 bytes | Reserved area, filled with zeros |
| 32-n* | 32 bytes each | An array with field descriptions (the structure of each such description is shown below) |
| n+1 | 1 byte | 0DH as a terminator |
n is the last byte of the array with field descriptions. The size of the array depends on the number of fields in the table file.
| Table field description | ||
| Byte | Content | Description |
| 0-10 | 11 bytes | Field name in ASCII (filled with zeros). |
| 11 | 1 byte | Field type in ASCII (C, D, F, L, M or N) |
| 12-15 | 4 bytes | Reserved area |
| 16 | 1 byte | Field size in binary format |
| 17 | 1 byte | Field serial number in binary format |
| 18-19 | 2 bytes | Reserved area |
| 20 | 1 byte | Workspace ID |
| 21-30 | 10 bytes | Reserved area |
| 31 | 1 byte | |
Table entries
Records in a table file are located immediately after the table header. The record data is preceded by a byte indicating that the record was deleted: the value 20h (space) indicates that the record was not deleted, the value 2Ah (asterisk) indicates the record was deleted. Fields are packed into records without field separators or record terminators. The end of the file is marked with a single byte (with an EOF marker), the OEM code of which corresponds to the value 26 (1Ah).
| Valid data type for dBASE tables | ||
| Type designation | Type | Range of values |
| C | Symbols | |
| D | Date | |
| F | Binary floating point numbers | - . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 |
| N | Decimal conversion of binary numbers | - . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 |
| L | Logical | |
| M | Memo | All OEM code page characters (internal recording format - 10 digits containing the DBT block number) |
Memo fields and .DBT files
The MEMO field of each .DBF file record contains a number (the value is indicated in the OEM code page) indicating the block with the stored data. If the field does not contain any data, the .DBF file will be filled with spaces (20h) (not numbers).
If the data of any field changes, the blocks can change their serial numbers to display new position data in a .DBT file.
This information is taken from the dBASE IV Reference ("dBASE IV Language Reference", Appendix D).
Data file header structure for dBASE 5.0 table under DOS.
| Table file header | ||
| Byte | Content | Description |
| 0 | 1st byte | |
| 1-3 | 3 bytes | Date of last update in YYMMDD format |
| 4-7 | 32-bit number | Number of records in the table |
| 8-9 | 16-bit number | Number of bytes occupied by the header |
| 10-11 | 16-bit number | Number of bytes occupied by a record |
| 12-13 | 2 bytes | Reserved area, filled with zeros |
| 14 | 1 byte | Flag indicating the presence of an pending transaction |
| 15 | 1 byte | Encoding flag |
| 16-27 | 12 bytes | Reserved area for multi-user use |
| 28 | 1 byte | MDX file presence flag: 01H - file present, 00H - file absent |
| 29 | 1 byte | Language driver ID |
| 30-31 | 2 bytes | Reserved area, filled with zeros |
| 32-n* | 32 bytes each | An array with field descriptions (the structure of each such description is shown below) |
| n+1 | 1 byte | 0DH as a terminator |
n is the last byte of the array with field descriptions. The size of the array depends on the number of fields in the table file.
| Table field description | ||
| Byte | Content | Description |
| 0-10 | 11 bytes | Field name in ASCII (filled with zeros). |
| 11 | 1 byte | |
| 12-15 | 4 bytes | Reserved area |
| 16 | 1 byte | Field size in binary format |
| 17 | 1 byte | Field serial number in binary format |
| 18-19 | 2 bytes | Reserved area |
| 20 | 1 byte | Workspace ID |
| 21-30 | 10 bytes | Reserved area |
| 31 | 1 byte | MDX field flag: 01H if the field has an index mark in the MDX file, 00H if it does not. |
Table entries
Records in a table file are located immediately after the table header. The record data is preceded by a byte indicating that the record was deleted: the value 20h (space) indicates that the record was not deleted, the value 2Ah (asterisk) indicates the record was deleted. Fields are packed into records without field separators or record terminators. The end of the file is marked with a single byte (with an EOF marker), the OEM code of which corresponds to the value 26 (1Ah). You can enter the data in OEM code page as shown below.
MEMO fields and .DBT files
MEMO fields store data in .DBT files consisting of enumerated sequential blocks (0, 1, 2, etc.). The BLOCKSIZE variable determines the size of each block. The first block in the .DBT file (block zero) is the header of the .DBT file.
The MEMO field of each .DBF file record contains a number (the value is indicated in the OEM code page) indicating the block with the stored data. If the field does not contain any data, the .DBF file will be filled with spaces (20h) (not numbers).
If the data of any field changes, the blocks can change their sequence numbers to reflect the new data position in the .DBT file.
If you delete text in a MEMO field, unlike dBASE III PLUS, the dBASE 5.0 table under DOS uses the deleted area to enter new text. dBASE III PLUS always adds new text to the end of the DBT file. In dBASE III PLUS, the size of the .DBT file grows every time new text is added, even if the text was previously deleted.
This information is taken from the dBASE for DOS Language reference book. Reference manual", Appendix C).
Data file header structure for a dBASE 5.0 table under Windows.
| Table file header | ||
| Byte | Content | Description |
| 0 | 1st byte | Control of the dBASE file under Windows: bits 0-2 indicate the version number, bit 3 - the presence of a dBASE IV or dBASE MEMO file under Windows, bits 4-6 - the presence of a dBASE IV SQL table, bit 7 - the presence of any .DBT MEMO file (dBASE III Plus, dBASE IV, or dBASE table MEMO file on Windows) |
| 1-3 | 3 bytes | Date of last update in YYMMDD format |
| 4-7 | 32-bit number | Number of records in the table |
| 8-9 | 16-bit number | Number of bytes occupied by the header |
| 10-11 | 16-bit number | Number of bytes occupied by a record |
| 12-13 | 2 bytes | Reserved area, filled with zeros |
| 14 | 1 byte | Flag indicating the presence of an pending dBASE IV transaction |
| 15 | 1 byte | dBASE IV table encoding flag |
| 16-27 | 12 bytes | Reserved area for multi-user use |
| 28 | 1 byte | MDX file presence flag: 01H - the file for this table is present, 00H - the file is absent |
| 29 | 1 byte | Language driver ID |
| 30-31 | 2 bytes | Reserved area, filled with zeros |
| 32-n | 32 bytes each | An array with field descriptions (structure of this array shown below) |
| n+1 | 1 byte | 0DH as a terminator |
n is the last byte of the array with field descriptions. The size of the array depends on the number of fields in the table file.
| Table field description | ||
| Byte | Content | Description |
| 0-10 | 11 bytes | Field name in ASCII (filled with zeros). |
| 11 | 1 byte | Field type in ASCII (B, C, D, F, G, L, M or N) |
| 12-15 | 4 bytes | Reserved area |
| 16 | 1 byte | Field size in binary format |
| 17 | 1 byte | Field serial number in binary format |
| 18-19 | 2 bytes | Reserved area |
| 20 | 1 byte | Workspace ID |
| 21-30 | 10 bytes | Reserved area |
| 31 | 1 byte | MDX field flag: 01H if the field has an index mark in the MDX file, 00H if it does not. |
Table entries
Records in a table file are located immediately after the table header. The record data is preceded by a byte indicating that the record was deleted: the value 20h (space) indicates that the record was not deleted, the value 2Ah (asterisk) indicates the record was deleted. Fields are packed into records without field separators or record terminators. The end of the file is marked with a single byte (with an EOF marker), the OEM code of which corresponds to the value 26 (1Ah). You can enter the data in OEM code page as shown below.
| Valid data type for dBASE tables | |
| Data type | Possible values |
| B (Binary) | All characters of the OEM code page (internal recording format - 10 digits containing the DBT block number). |
| C (Characters) | All OEM code page characters |
| D (Date) | Numbers and separator character for month, day and year (internal recording format is 8 digits in YYYYMMDD format) |
| G (General) | All characters from the OEM or OLE code page (internal recording format is 10 digits containing the DBT block number). |
| N (Numeric) | - . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 |
| L (Boolean) | ? Y y N n T t F f (? - not initialized) |
| M (Memo) | All OEM code page characters (internal recording format - 10 digits containing the DBT block number) |
Binary, MEMO, OLE fields and .DBT files
Binary, MEMO and OLE fields store data in .DBT files, Data file header structure for dBASE table III PLUS.br //td b/b consisting of enumerated sequential blocks (0, 1, 2, etc.). The BLOCKSIZE variable determines the size of each block. The first block in the .DBT file (block zero) is the header of the .DBT file.
The binary, OLE, or MEMO field of each .DBF file record contains a number (the value is indicated in the OEM code page) indicating the block with the stored data. If the field does not contain any data, the .DBF file will be filled with spaces (20h) (not numbers).
If the data of any field changes, the blocks can change their sequence numbers to reflect the new data position in. DBT file.
If you are deleting text in a binary, OLE, or MEMO field, as opposed to dBASE III PLUS and dBASE IV, table dBASE 5.0 under Windows uses the remote area to enter new text. dBASE III PLUS always adds new text to the end of the .DBT file. In dBASE III PLUS, the size of the .DBT file grows every time new text is added, even if the text was previously deleted.