Microsoft KB Archive/31185

ISAM REBUILD Error: “Data Dictionary in Data File Is Damaged”

PSS ID Number: Q31185 Article last modified on 04-21-1993

2.20 MS-DOS

Summary: Attempting to REBUILD an ISAM file using the following REBUILD syntax: REBUILD filename.dat,newfilename.dat,#location:#length results in the following error message: Need data type of key Data Dictionary in data file is damaged Your options when this problem occurs are as follows: 1. Restore a backup copy of the file and try again. 2. Manually enter the key offsets and lengths. The following are workarounds for this problem: 1. Version 2.2 requires a key-type specifier when a key location and length are specified. Add a definition of ALPHA as the final argument in the REBUILD command line, as in the following example: REBUILD …,#location,#length ALPHA) 2. Do not specify location or length arguments in the REBUILD command line.

Additional reference words: 2.20 Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1993.