Microsoft KB Archive/290867

= How to use dBASE data with Access 2002 and Jet =

PSS ID Number: 290867

Article Last Modified on 8/12/2004

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Access 2002
 * Microsoft Data Access Components 2.1
 * Microsoft Data Access Components 2.1 SP1
 * Microsoft Data Access Components 2.1 SP2
 * Microsoft Data Access Components 2.5

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This article was previously published under Q290867



Novice: Requires knowledge of the user interface on single-user computers.

This article applies to a Microsoft Access database (.mdb) and to a Microsoft Access project (.adp).

For a Microsoft Access 2000 version of this article, see 230125.



SYMPTOMS
The dBASE database driver works in one of two modes. One mode is when the the latest Microsoft Jet 4.0 service pack is installed or when the Borland Database Engine (BDE) is installed. The other mode is when neither of these are installed. dBASE data is only updateable when the the latest Microsoft Jet 4.0 service pack is installed or when the BDE is installed. Without the the latest Microsoft Jet 4.0 service pack or the BDE, dBASE data can be read, imported and exported, or linked to read-only.

There may be incompatibilities with certain versions of the BDE. The symptoms of the incompatibilities vary, depending on the version of the BDE. Version 5.01 of the Borland Database Engine is recommended. The following table lists the behavior supported for each of the dBASE file formats:



RESOLUTION
To be able to write data to a linked dBASE file from within Access 2002 or from a Jet 4.0 application, you must have the the latest Microsoft Jet 4.0 service pack or you must have the BDE. For additional information about how to obtain the latest version of the Jet 4.0 database engine, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

239114 How To: Obtain the Latest Service Pack for the Microsoft Jet 4.0 Database Engine

Borland Database Engine
Contact Inprise Inc. or a third-party vendor to obtain the BDE. Obtain licensing and run-time distribution requirements for the BDE from Inprise.

Third-party dBASE ODBC driver vendors include Merant (http://www.merant.com), Borland.Com (http://www.borland.com), and Inprise Inc. (http://www.Inprise.com). For additional information about how to contact Merant, Borland.Com, or Inprise Inc., please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

65416 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, A-K

60781 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, L-P

60782 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, Q-Z



MORE INFORMATION
 If neither the latest Jet 4.0 service pack nor the BDE is installed:  The dBASE ISAM will place an exclusive lock upon opening dBASE files. This includes opening linked dBASE tables or dBASE tables opened via DAO. Multi-user capability is no longer supported. Concurrent ODBC connections to the same table, from the same computers, or from multiple computers is no longer supported. APPEND, UPDATE, and DELETE are no longer supported. Microsoft Access will not allow you to sort fields in table Datasheet view. If you try to do so, Access returns the following error message:

The database engine can't lock table because it is already in use by another user or process

</li></ul> </li> The dBASE ISAM only supports the 8.3 naming convention as in earlier version of Microsoft Access.</li> dBASE extensions are not supported via the Microsoft dBASE IISAM, regardless of whether a version of the BDE is installed that supports it.</li> When using the dBASE ISAM with the BDE for dBASE III, you must have an INF file defined to associate the indexes with the DBF file. For dBASE IV and dBASE 5, the INF file is optional.</li> If the BDE is not installed Microsoft Access will not prompt for, use, or maintain dBASE indexes as in earlier versions of Microsoft Access. If the BDE is installed, Access will use and maintain the indexes via the BDE.</li> When using the dBASE ISAM to link to a table in Access 2002, you must be able to exclusively lock the table to create the link. If any other application has the .dbf open, the attempt to create the link in Access 2002 will fail.</li></ul>

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