Import or link dBASE files

Note   You can link a table only in a Microsoft Access database, not a Microsoft Access project.

1. Open a database, or switch to the Database window for the open database.
   
   
2. To import files, on the File menu, point to Get External Data, and then click Import.

   To link files, on the File menu, point to Get External Data, and then click Link Tables.

3. In the Import (or Link) dialog box, in the Files Of Type box, select one of the dBASE file types.
   
   
4. Click the arrow to the right of the Look In box, select the drive and folder where the .dbf file is located, and then double-click its icon.

   Important   If you link to a file on a local area network, make sure that you use a universal naming convention (UNC) path, instead of relying on the drive letter of a mapped network drive in Windows Explorer. A drive letter can vary on a computer or may not always be defined, whereas a UNC path is a reliable and consistent way for Microsoft Access to locate the data source that contains the linked table.

   • If you're importing, Microsoft Access creates a table named after the file that you selected, and then imports the data from the .dbf file. Go to step 7.
     
     
   • If you're linking, Microsoft Access displays a dialog box where you can associate dBASE index files. Go to step 5.
5. Double-click each dBASE index (.ndx or .mdx) file that you want to use, and then click Close. If there are no indexes, click Cancel to continue.
   
   
6. In the Select Unique Record Identifier dialog box, select an index that uniquely identifies each record. This index must contain no duplicate values, or Microsoft Access might not be able to properly update data in queries with joins.
   
   
7. If you want to import or link another dBASE file, repeat steps 4 through 6.

Notes

• To link (read/write) a dBASE 7 table, you must have the Borland Database Engine (BDE) version 4.x or later installed on your computer. If you do not have BDE 4.x or later installed, you can obtain it by installing dBASE 7 or Delphi. If you have an older version of the BDE that does not support dBASE 7 file format, then you can upgrade your engine from the Borland World Wide Web site. Alternatively, if you do not have the BDE installed on your computer, you can still link to dBASE III, IV and 5.0 file format.
  
  
• After importing or linking a .dbf or .dbc file, you can set field properties for the table. If you import a .dbf or .dbc file, you might also want to set a primary key for the table. For more information, click .
  
  
• If you link a .dbf file and associate an index (.ndx or .mdx) file, then Microsoft Access needs the index file to open the linked table. If you delete or move dBASE index files or the information (.inf) file that Microsoft Access creates, you won't be able to open the linked table.
  
  
• When you use Microsoft Access to update the data in your .dbf file, Access updates the index files to reflect your changes. If you use dBASE to update data, then you must update the associated indexes within dBASE as well. Microsoft Access can't use a linked table if the indexes that you specified aren't current.
  
  
• If your dBASE tables are stored on a read-only drive or CD-ROM, Microsoft Access can't create an .inf file in the same folder as the .dbf files. To link a table on a read-only drive, place the .inf file on a read/write drive. You can specify the path of the .inf file in the Windows Registry. For more information, click .