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foxbase excel delimited

While Foxbase was not as popular on SCO Unix as was Filepro, I did see a few of these. Here's how to get the data out.

Note the warning in the comments. While generally good advice, it wouldn't matter for this as the file would be text. If nact, you might WANT the LF conversion!

From: Ben Rosenthal <bcrosen@attglobal.net>
Subject: Re: foxbase
References: <001701c19552$97061660$6700000a@venmar.com>
<3c35fda4_3@corp.newsgroups.com> 
Date: Fri, 04 Jan 2002 21:42:04 GMT

SigmaJT wrote:

> "Fabio Giannotti" <fabiog@venmar.com> wrote in message
> news:001701c19552$97061660$6700000a@venmar.com...
> > > Behalf Of SigmaJT
> > > Sent: Friday, January 04, 2002 11:50 AM
> > > To: distribution@xenitec.on.ca
> > > Subject: foxbase
> > >
> > >
> > > This is probably off topic, but Foxbase came with our SCO
> > > Unix 5.0.5 so
> > > maybe some of you have experience with it.
> > > I am trying to get foxbase data into an excel spreadsheet and
> >
> > I regularly bring foxbase databases into excel with no problem.  Just get
> > the .dbf on your windows box, and open it in excel.  If this isn't working
> > there is either a problem with the file or excel.  Did you load all of the
> > conversion options with excel?  How are you getting the file from unix to
> > windows? If you are using ftp, did you turn binary on?
> >
> > Good luck,
> > Fabio
> >
>
> There are programs written in foxbase by someone else that regularly access
> and modify the .dbf file so I assume the file is good.   I transfer the file
> using ftp with binary on and excel pops up with a message saying the
> database isn't in a recognizable format.  It then attempts to import as a
> text file but the job it does is nowhere near close to what it should be.
> We have about 5000 records with about 30 fields each and excel ends up doing
> something simalar to taking all the fields for about 50 records and placing
> them in cell A1.  Then next 50 to cell A2 and so on
>

As suggested earlier, try exporting to a text file.
COPY TO <file> TYPE SDF
Will result in a text file with fixed length records.
COPY TO <file> DELIMITED
Will result in a text file with comma delimited records.
Then import into excel.

Ben Rosenthal

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