Converting Data to the Desktop

When an ADOCE database is exported from the device, it is converted to an .mdb file on the desktop computer that can be read and manipulated by Microsoft Access. Because the Windows CE database system is less robust than Microsoft Access, and the converter copies only the tables that ADOCE can read, this conversion results in little or no information loss. This topic describes the conversion process in detail.

The following table shows how data types are mapped from ADOCE to a .mdb file.

Device type	Access type	ODBC type	Sent to desktop computer
datetime	Date/Time	sql_timestamp	Yes
double	Double	sql_double	Yes
integer	LongInt	sql_integer	Yes
smallint	Int	sql_smallint	Yes
Boolean	YesNo	sql_bit	Yes
varbinary	Binary	sql_varbinary	Yes, including length
long varbinary	OLEObject	sql_longvarbinary	Yes
varchar	Text	sql_varchar	Yes, including length
text	Memo	sql_longvarchar	Yes

Table Conversion

Tables are not converted or copied to the desktop computer in the following cases:

The table is a system table.
The table does not have an entry in the MSysTables table and corresponding entries in related system tables. For example, non-ADOCE databases are not converted.

No table name conversion is required because the desktop computer name length, 64 characters, is larger than the device name length, 31 characters.

Field Conversion

Field names map directly from ADOCE to Microsoft Access, because .mdb files and in ADOCE files support file names of 64 characters.

Index Conversion

All indexes on the device are created on the desktop computer. If the index on the device has a name beginning with the text PrimaryKey, then the index is created as a Unique index. The only other attribute that is used is Ascending or Descending.

Conversion Options

Windows CE filters may have user options. The following table shows the option that is provided for converting .mdb data.

Option	Default	Comment
Overwrite existing tables	True	If False, the tables are renamed. By default, they are replaced.