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searc tool for converting excel file to a dbf 1

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bobmie

Programmer
Oct 22, 2005
16
BE
Hey
I search for a tool to convert a excel file to a dbf
Anyone a suggestion ?
thanks in advance
Bob
 
Hi, Bob

In Excel, file/save as type csv
In xBase create a database with appropriate layout for the columns in Excel, and then import from <filename>.csv delimited.

This will work unless the Excel spreadsheet is not organized in columns and as long as it doesn't have any multi-line text cells. It is best to define all fields in the db as character and then do any numeric/date conversions afterwards.

In general saving as type .dbf out of Excel dnw's, but going via CSV works most of the time.

Jock
 
Thanks Jock for your advice
I will test it out
Bob
 
bobmie,

As usual Jock is right on the money. I will push from EXCEL to a dbf format whenever possible but there are a number of problems that crop up converting straight out of EXCEL an into a dbf format. But for simple layouts you can come from EXCEL to a dbf format and it is pretty clean. Sometimes I will run a dbf out and a CSV out, clean out the dbf, and load the CSV into the dbf shell that I just created. Jock is correct in that the field types are better off as character and then converted as needed when you get into the dbf format.

Jim C.
 
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