XL: "Database Range Not Defined"/Data Missing Saving to dBASE

• Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 2.x, 3.x, 4.x, 5.0, 5.0c
• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel, if a database is not defined on the worksheet, you may receive one of the following error messages when you save a worksheet to the dBASE (.DBF) file format:

Database range is not defined

-OR-

No list found. Select a single cell within your list and Microsoft Excel will select the list for you.

CAUSE

In Microsoft Excel, you must define a database on the worksheet before you save it in the dBASE file format.

WORKAROUND

To define a database on a worksheet so that you can save it in a dBASE file format, follow these steps:

1. On the Microsoft Excel worksheet, select the range that contains the database.



2. In Excel 5.0 and later, click the Name Box, type Database and press ENTER. (This is equivalent to creating a defined name called Database).
   
   In Excel 4.x and earlier, click Set Database on the Data menu.



3. Save the file in the dBASE file format you want.

MORE INFORMATION

In Microsoft Excel for Windows version 2.x, you can save a file in the dBASE II and dBASE III file formats. In Microsoft Excel for Windows versions 3.0 and later, you have the added capability of saving a file to the dBASE IV file format.

For more information about how files are saved to dBASE file format in Microsoft Excel versions 5.0 and later, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q46228 :Data Lost When File Saved in .DBF File Format

Additional query words: 2.00 2.01 2.10 2.20 2.21 3.00 4.00 err msg dbf

Keywords : kberrmsg kbusage
Version : WINDOWS:2.x,3.x,4.x,5.0,5.0c,7.0
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbprb