How to import a PARADOX-db file into BASE?

[MartinC]

Hi!
How can I convert, integrate, import or make otherwise usable with OO-Base(OpenOffice Org 3.1.0) a PARADOX-file (db-file), created with PARADOX 7 for Windows? I want to give up Paradox and continue to work with OpenOffice only.
I am no expert, so thanks for a simple answer. Or call 0049-761-38909-19 and leave a message, I will call back.

PROBLEM:

Ich habe mit dem Programm PARADOX 7 für Windows (32-Bit) von der Fa. Borland eine große Datenbank erstellt (PDOXWIN, Endung .db mit ca. 1500 Datenbanksätzen), eine mit BDE bereitgestellte relationale Datenbank im ObjektPAL Skriptformat. Das Programm wird nicht mehr vertrieben oder gepflegt (zuletzt wohl Corel Paradox 8). Um den evtl. Verlust der Daten oder ihre Benutzbarkeit zu vermeiden und weil ich die große Funktionalität von Paradox eigentlich nicht benötige, habe ich folgende

FRAGEN:

* Kann ich mit Open Office Org. 3.1.0 über das Modul BASE 3 eine neue Datenbank (Format ist wohl eine mit Java programmierte HSQLDB) einrichten? Wie groß ist die Kapazität (Anzahl + Umfang der Datenbanksätze)?
* Kann ich in eine solche neu erstellte OO-Datenbank die bisherige Datenbank-Tabelle aus Paradox "übertragen", einlesen o.ä. (Export + Import) ?
* Geht dies auch hinsichtlich derdazugehörigen Abfragen und Formulare (Gestaltetes Erscheinungsbild der Datenanzeige), um praktisch die gleiche Erscheinungsform der Datenanzeige in einem Anzeige-Formular wie bisher zu erhalten??

DANKE für eine für Laien verständliche Antwort!

Please don't double-post the same question in different areas of the forum. I have removed your other identical thread. See: The Survival guide (TheGurkha, Moderator)

[Villeroy]

Forget the integrated HSQLDB. It's a cheap plastic toy of a database. Software does not die suddenly. Keep on using Paradox and use Base whenever you want to use the database in this office suite (spreadsheet calculations, reports, serial letters,...).
Create an ODBC data source for your Paradox DB and connect Base with it:
menu:File>New>Database...
[X] Connect to existing database
Type: ODBC
Specify the connection name
[X] Register the database
Store the Base document, which is just a configuration file at this point.

It works like this (roughly):
*.db <--> Paradox ODBC driver <--> Base --> Calc&Writer
The ODBC driver can serve other tools such as Access and you can keep on working with your Paradox software.
The Base file can contain it's own queries, output reports and input forms. Reports and forms are Writer documents stored in the Base file.

[MartinC]

Thanks for the fast answer. If I understand it correctly, you are saying that Base does not have its own database (file containing data table created by Base), but simply connects certain OO-configurations with a database created and existing elsewhere, in my case with a .db file created by PARADOX. Therefore I should continue working with my PARADOX database and use it "through" Base when I want to work with OO. This would mean that you don't "import" data into a Base-database, and cannot if you wanted to.

Is it not a problem if I keep the old version of PARADOX 7 for Windows without updating it? I thought I could avoid buying an expensive update or new office version of Corel's WordPerfect Office X3 Professional Edition containing PARADOX.

[Villeroy]

If I understand it correctly, you are saying that Base does not have its own database (file containing data table created by Base), but simply connects certain OO-configurations with a database created and existing elsewhere, in my case with a .db file created by PARADOX.

This is almost correct. There is one "special connection" which comes into play when you create a brand new database: A connection to HSQL. The clou is, that the table data are embedded in the odb document. When you load such a self-contained database, all tables get extracted to a temporary directory and OOo's integrated HSQL server connects Base to the extracted data. This approach has too many drawbacks.
The resulting database is slow, unsafe(data loss is inacceptable), unsecure (single, almighty user), proprietary(useless outside OOo), expensive (too much memory load),... but hey, it's still better than what many people try to do in spreadsheets.

Therefore I should continue working with my PARADOX database and use it "through" Base when I want to work with OO. This would mean that you don't "import" data into a Base-database, and cannot if you wanted to.

Is it not a problem if I keep the old version of PARADOX 7 for Windows without updating it? I thought I could avoid buying an expensive update or new office version of Corel's WordPerfect Office X3 Professional Edition containing PARADOX.

MartinC

As long as it runs under your WinXP system I can not see any technical reason why you should upgrade or switch. Next version of MS Windows will be able to run XP in a virtual machine for perfect compatibility.

This is the beauty of standards. Don't change a winning team. Instead you can introduce new members to the team.

[jelabarre59]

Perhaps one would like to *migrate* files to Base, just so they don't have to keep some old version of Paradox around just to edit a handful of databases. Perhaps they're single-file lists with memo fields that will not export with the export formats provided by Paradox4/DOS.

Well, at least that's my situation. Some years ago, back when I was still doing some development in Paradox/DIS, I set up some files for my brother to catalog manuals, books & magazines. At this point it's just a real PITA to manipulate these files in any current applications (especially if he's trying to send a list of titles out for sale). Also, I would eventually like to move him off Windows and on to Linux.

As I said, the export formats provided with Pdox 4.0/DOS will not export the memo fields with the rest of the file. Therefore some means of working directly with the files in Base is needed.

[Villeroy]

What I don't get is: Why does everybody expect that this software, which is the matter of this forum, should always be the one and only software to be compatible with every binary dump of computing history? Is it an unreasonable demand to start up the old software and export everything to csv, dBase or whatever? If you can't stand your working database anymore, then make your decisions for some other database and export your data so they can be imported into anything.
It is a bad idea to remove a working and mature software in favour of an immature, unsecure, unsafe proof-of-concept database if you could use the same old database with both programs, Paradox and Base via some Paradox driver.
If you need something better, then use something better. IMHO Base's embedded HSQLDB can't be the better choice. There is SQLite, there are many database servers, some of them free. Most of them can be used in Base once you've got the thing up and running.

The conversion from one database backend to another database backend is not matter of this forum since OOo provides a frontend only (with one lousy backend for casual or educational use).

Even when you try to copy one set of Paradox tables over to another set of tables from one Base window to another, you must not be too disappointed when the result crashes your server or when the result is unusable otherwise.