Explanation of ODBC Btrieve Data Source Settings

• Microsoft Excel for Windows, version 5.0

SUMMARY

When you install the Btrieve ODBC driver, the following section, named [btrieve], is added to your WIN.INI file:

   [btrieve]
   options=/m:64 /p:4096 /b:16 /f:20 /l:40 /n:40 /n:12
   /t:c:\access\BTRIEVE.TRN

The line in this section has several parameters, which are explained below.

Paramerter What parameter specifies Default value for parameter

/m:         Memory size               32K (but it can range from 14K to
                                      64K)

/p:         Page size                 Maximum size is 4096 bytes

/b:         Pre-image buffer size     16K (but it can range from 1 to
                                      64)

/f:         Number of open files      20 (maximum is 255)

/l:         Number of multiple locks  20 (maximum is 255)

/n:         Number of files in a      12 (but it can range from 0 to 18)
            transaction

/t:         Location of the
            transaction filename

When presumably connected to the file, no table names show in the Add Tables box.

These symptoms are usually caused by improper or missing parameters in the [btrieve] section of the WIN.INI file.

MORE INFORMATION

When you connect to a btrieve file using ODBC drivers in MSQUERY, the following section is added to the WIN.INI file in your Windows directory:

[btrieve] options=/m:64 /p:4096 /b:16 /f:20 /l:40 /n:12 /t:C:\BTRIEVE.TRN

Although these are the default option settings, you can change these options using the following table as a guide. If the option you want to set is not on the "options=" line, add the option and desired setting at the end. The order in which the options are placed is not important.

When MSQUERY ODBC Drivers to connect to btrieve files, keep the following considerations in mind:

- Btrieve data files must be in version 5.1x format.

- You must have the data definition files FILE.DDF and FIELD.DDF, which

  tell MSQUERY the structure of your tables.  These files are created by
  Xtrieve or another .DDF file-building program.

  which isn't provided with Microsoft ODBC Drivers. This file is available
  with Novell Btrieve for Windows, Novell NetWare SQL, and some other
  products for Windows that use Btrieve.

  transaction file (BTRIEVE.TRN) as other users on the network. To do this,
  set the transaction file name option (/t) in the [btrieve] section of
  your WIN.INI to point to the network location of BTRIEVE.TRN.

When using the Microsoft ODBC 1.0 Btrieve driver, the error may read:

   Win.ini [Btrieve] options wrong.

   Error encountered while using the Btrieve DLL.