Re: Btrieve legacy migration

The first question is to figur eout your file format and database
engine version. So let's start there:

- Database Engine Version: Go to www.goldstarsoftware.com/press.asp
and get the white paper on "Finding Your Database Engine Version".
When you've figured it out, let us know.

- File Formats: Use the BUTIL -STAT call, described in the white paper
on "Btrieve Data File Maintenance". If you do not find the BUTIL
utility, then you may have the Maintenance Utility (a graphical tool)
instead. Either way, do a STAT of one of your data files to determine
your version.

Once we know that, then we can come up with some reasonable (and FREE)
solutions. Keep in mind, though, that anything that does not involve
accessing Btrieve natively will be much slower and require more steps.
If you want to get an idea what I am talking about, see the END of the
white paper on "Accessing Brtieve Data Files from ODBC" at the same
site. This provides a reasonable way to access the data on your
existing Btrieve engine (whichever version it may be) and exporting it
to flat (unformatted) files that can then be read by your own
application.
Goldstar Software Inc.
Pervasive-based Products, Training & Services
Bill Bach
BillBach@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.goldstarsoftware.com
*** Chicago: Pervasive Service & Support Class - March 2008 ***


daniel.yule@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

Hello,

I am writing an application in C# that I am trying to integrate with a
legacy program that stores its information in Btrieve databases. I am
looking for information on how to do this.

Due to financial constraints, as well as licensing problems,
purchasing a copy of Progressive Server is not very feasible.
Basically, my program needs to be able to read the information stored
in this database without installing Progressive.

I am basically looking for one of two things: an open-source library
for reading btrieve data files, or a description of the file format.

I have been able to find many descriptions of file.ddf and field.ddf,
but the program I am integrating with only seems to use an index.ddf.
Any of the freeware programs I have found require a file.ddf and
field.ddf file to work.

There have been some hints that the SQL reference manual from the
Progressive website might have the file format I'm looking for, but I
have not been able to find any details.

This is all further complicated by the fact that I have no idea what
version of the file format I am working with, but I suspect it to be
pre-6.15.

If anyone could point me towards some solutions to any of these
problems, I would really appreciate it. I have been banging my head
against a wall all week. Thanks.

-Daniel



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