Microsoft KB Archive/252709

= OL97: Error Message "An Error Has Occurred in the dBase Translator" When You Import DBF Files =

Article ID: 252709

Article Last Modified on 1/27/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Outlook 97 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q252709





SYMPTOMS
When you try to import a dBase file (.dbf) into Outlook, the import fails and you may receive the following error message:

An error has occurred in the dBase translator while getting the contents of a file system.

The file " \ .dbf" was not recognized. The dBase translator was unable to recognize this file. It could be the wrong file, a version of the file type which is not supported by this translator, or the file might be corrupt.



CAUSE
A value greater than 99 for the year in the file's Last Modified Date field is not properly read. The year can be represented as a number between 0 and 255. Some software that creates .dbf files reset to 0 after 99, and others continue beyond 99. The original file format definition allowed some ambiguity, so either interpretation is common. Microsoft Office programs generally continue incrementing the year beyond 99, but Microsoft FoxPro and some versions of dBase do not.



WORKAROUND
You can work around this problem by using an alternative file format for the import, such as comma separated values (CSV), Microsoft Excel (.xls), or Microsoft Access (.mdb).



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

