ODBC Driver for xBase: Put Your FoxPro and dBase Data to Work Again
Somewhere in a lot of companies there's a folder full of .DBF files. Maybe it's an old Visual FoxPro inventory system that still runs the warehouse. Maybe it's twenty years of dBase customer records, or a Clipper accounting app nobody dares to switch off. The data is valuable, but getting it into Excel, Power BI or a modern web app usually means exports, conversions and a lot of copy and paste.
Devart ODBC Driver for xBase removes that step. It's a standard ODBC driver that lets almost any reporting, BI, ETL or development tool read and write DBF files directly, as if they were a regular database. You point it at the folder, pick the file format, and your FoxPro or dBase tables show up in the tool you already use.
Quick facts
- Version: 6.1.0
- Formats: FoxPro 2, Visual FoxPro, dBase III to dBase 10, Clipper, CodeBase, HiPer-Six and other DBF formats
- Platforms: Windows (x86 and x64, including Windows Terminal Server), macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon) and Linux (x86 and x64)
- Works with: 32-bit and 64-bit applications
- Standards: ODBC 3.52, full ANSI SQL-92
- Price: from $139.95 USD (Desktop edition for Windows, 1 year of support and upgrades)
- Trial: free, fully functional 30-day trial
- Windows installer size: about 32 MB
Overview
ODBC is the plumbing that lets applications talk to databases through one common interface. If a tool can "connect to an ODBC data source", and most serious data tools can, it can use this driver. That covers spreadsheet work in Excel and LibreOffice, dashboards in Power BI, Tableau and QlikView, database tools like Microsoft Access, DBeaver and SQL Server, and your own code in Visual Studio, Python, PHP or C++Builder.
What makes Devart's driver different from a generic DBF reader is how much of the xBase world it covers and how it behaves once connected. It connects directly to the files, so there's no database server to run and no extra client libraries to install or ship with your app. It speaks proper SQL, including joins and aggregate functions. And it was built with messy real-world data in mind: it can skip damaged records and still return everything that's intact.
Devart says the driver is verified with more than 250 tools, and it's actively maintained. The latest release, 6.1.0, added a read-only connection mode and improved compatibility with Qlik Replicate, PHP's PDO_ODBC extension and Node.js.
Features
Broad xBase format support
One driver covers the whole family: FoxPro 2 and Visual FoxPro, every dBase generation from dBase III through dBase 10, Clipper, CodeBase and HiPer-Six, plus other DBF variants. That matters when you've inherited files from several old systems, because you don't need a different tool for each one. You choose the format per connection, so a Clipper folder and a Visual FoxPro folder can sit side by side as two data sources.
Direct connection, nothing else to install
The driver reads and writes the DBF files itself. There's no database engine, no client library and no runtime to deploy alongside it. Setup on a new machine is just the driver installer. Devart also points out that the direct connection speeds up data transfer between your application and the files, since nothing sits in between.
Recovers data from damaged tables
Old DBF files get damaged: a crash mid-write, a bad copy, a broken index. Normally one bad record can stop a whole table from opening. This driver has options to ignore corrupted data errors and metadata errors when opening a table. Damaged records are skipped and the intact data comes through, indexes included. For anyone rescuing data from a legacy system, that alone can be the reason to buy it.
Real SQL over DBF files
The driver is ODBC 3.52 compliant with full support for the ODBC API and data types, and it offers full ANSI SQL-92. In practice that means JOINs across tables, GROUP BY with SUM, COUNT and AVG, filters and sorting, all written in ordinary SQL and all running against files that were never designed for it. High-performance local indexing helps keep queries on larger tables responsive.
Bulk updates and fast loading
When you need to change a lot of rows, you can combine SQL statements into batches instead of sending them one at a time, which speeds up large data changes considerably. Devart also lists fast parallel bulk data loading, useful when moving a whole legacy table into another system.
A safe read-only mode
New in version 6.1.0, the Read Only connection mode lets you open a data source so that nothing can be written back. It's a sensible default for reporting and analytics, and a relief when you're pointing a BI tool at the only copy of a production system's data.
Windows, macOS and Linux
Builds are available for Windows (x86 and x64, including Windows Terminal Server), macOS (both Intel and Apple Silicon) and Linux (x86 and x64, as RPM and DEB packages). It works with both 32-bit and 64-bit applications, which matters on Windows where older tools are often still 32-bit. Since version 6.0 there's a graphical configuration tool on macOS and Linux too, not just on Windows.
Verified with the tools you use
Devart tests its ODBC drivers against a long list of applications, including:
- Databases and database tools: SQL Server (as a Linked Server), Oracle (as a Database Link), Microsoft Access, DBeaver
- BI and analytics: Power BI, Tableau, QlikView, TIBCO Spotfire
- Office suites: Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice, OpenOffice, StarOffice
- Development: Visual Studio, Python, PHP, FileMaker, C++Builder
It also offers ODBC 2.x behavior emulation for older applications that expect it.
Benefits
Stop exporting to CSV
The usual way to get DBF data into a report is to export it, clean up the CSV, import it somewhere else, and repeat next month. With a live ODBC connection, your report reads the current data every time it refreshes. No export files to manage, no stale copies.
Keep the old system running while you modernize
You don't have to rip out a working FoxPro or Clipper application to use its data. The legacy app keeps its files, and your new dashboard or web app can report on them through ODBC. That makes a gradual migration possible instead of a risky big-bang switch.
Rescue data that other tools give up on
Corrupted-data recovery turns "the table won't open" into "we got back everything except a few broken rows". When the files are the only record of years of business history, that's a big deal.
One driver, many formats
If your data comes from a dBase system, a Visual FoxPro app and an old Clipper program, one driver handles all three. There's one thing to install, one thing to learn and one vendor to call.
Simple deployment
Because the driver needs no client software, rolling it out means installing one package. For larger companies, the Site and OEM licenses support silent installation, and the OEM license lets software vendors ship the driver inside their own product royalty-free.
Usage Guide
Here's how to go from a folder of DBF files to live data on Windows. The macOS and Linux steps follow.
- Install the driver. Run the installer and follow the wizard. If an older version is installed, the wizard warns you. Uninstalling the old version first is recommended.
- Pick the bitness. On the Select Components page, choose the 64-bit or 32-bit driver, or both. Match it to the application that will use it: a 32-bit tool needs the 32-bit driver.
- Activate or start the trial. In the License Information dialog, choose Trial to start the 30-day evaluation, or Activation Key and paste the key from your registration email or the Devart Customer Portal. You can also load a key file. Then click Next, Install and Finish.
- Open the ODBC Data Source Administrator. Click Start, type ODBC Data Sources and open the version that matches your application's bitness.
- Add a data source. On the User DSN or System DSN tab, click Add, choose Devart ODBC Driver for xBase and click Finish. Most applications work with either DSN type, but some require one or the other.
- Enter the connection details. Give the data source a name, point it at the folder that holds your DBF files and choose the format (for example Visual FoxPro, dBase or Clipper).
- Test and save. Click Test Connection to check everything works, then OK to save the DSN.
- Connect from your tool. In Excel, Power BI, Access or any other ODBC-aware application, choose ODBC as the data source and pick the DSN you just created. Your tables appear like any other database.
Tip: using DBeaver?
Devart recommends one extra setting for DBeaver: in the DSN's Advanced Settings, set String Types to Ansi. That avoids problems with the SQL_WVARCHAR type. Then in DBeaver choose New Database Connection, pick ODBC, enter your DSN name in the Database/Schema field and click Test Connection.
On Linux
Installing the DEB or RPM package creates a DSN named DEVART_XBASE automatically. Open /etc/odbc.ini, find the DEVART_XBASE section, set Database to the folder that holds your DBF files and set the format. Then test the connection with the unixODBC command isql -v DEVART_XBASE. Once it connects, you can run SQL queries straight away.
On macOS
Install the PKG, then configure the data source in an ODBC administrator. Devart also provides its own free ODBC Administrator for macOS, and since version 6.0 the driver has a graphical settings dialog on Mac too.
Tip: start read-only
When you first connect a BI or reporting tool to real production files, turn on the Read Only connection mode. You get all the reporting you want with zero risk of an accidental write. Switch to read-write only for the connections that really need it.
What Users Say
"Reliable Driver for Legacy DBF Databases" (5 out of 5)
"We use ODBC Driver for xBase to access legacy DBF databases and integrate them with modern web applications. It allows us to retrieve historical data, process business information, and generate various reports efficiently. The driver has helped bridge the gap between older database systems and newer technologies, making data migration and reporting much easier."
Pros: "Easy to install and configure. It allows our applications to connect to legacy DBF files without requiring any data conversion. Performance is stable and reliable."
Cons: "During the initial setup, we encountered a few bugs, such as certain SQL statements not working as expected and some language display issues. However, after reporting these problems to the support team, they responded quickly and provided fixes in a timely manner. Since then, the driver has been working reliably."
Sarayut S., Web Engineer, Packaging and Containers (review on Capterra, June 2)
Real-World Uses
Power BI dashboards on a FoxPro back office
A distributor runs its orders and stock on a Visual FoxPro system that has worked for years. Management wants a sales dashboard. Instead of rebuilding the system, you create a read-only DSN on the folder with the DBF tables, connect Power BI to it through ODBC, and build the dashboard on live data. When a new order is saved in the FoxPro app, it shows up on the next refresh.
Migrating dBase or Clipper data into SQL Server
Moving off an old system is much easier when you can query it with SQL. Set the driver up as a Linked Server in SQL Server and you can copy tables across with ordinary INSERT ... SELECT statements, check row counts on both sides, and run the old and new systems in parallel until you're confident. Corrupted-data recovery helps here too, because a migration is often the first time anyone has read every record in years.
Excel reports for people who don't write SQL
Finance and operations teams live in Excel. With a DSN in place, they can pull DBF tables into a spreadsheet or a pivot table and hit Refresh whenever they need current numbers. No more asking IT for another export every month.
Web apps and scripts that read legacy data
The Capterra reviewer quoted above uses the driver to feed legacy DBF data into modern web applications. PHP (through PDO_ODBC, which version 6.1.0 improved), Python and Node.js can all use the same DSN. That makes it practical to build a customer portal or an internal tool on top of an old database without touching the application that owns it.
Rescuing data from a retired system
Sometimes the old application is gone and all that's left is a folder of DBF files, some of them damaged. Point the driver at the folder, turn on the options that skip corrupted records, and pull out everything that can still be read. It's much quicker than repairing each file by hand.
Who it's for
- IT teams keeping a FoxPro, dBase or Clipper system alive while they plan what comes next
- Data analysts who need legacy data in Power BI, Tableau, QlikView or Excel
- Developers connecting old DBF data to new web apps, scripts or ETL jobs
- Software vendors whose products still read DBF files, who can ship the driver under an OEM license
Comparisons
Devart ODBC Driver for xBase vs. Microsoft's ODBC driver
Windows has long had Microsoft's own ODBC driver for FoxPro files, so it's fair to ask why you'd pay for another one. Devart publishes a side-by-side comparison. According to it, both drivers handle FoxPro 2 and Visual FoxPro, are ODBC 3.52 compliant, support ANSI SQL-92 and work with 32-bit and 64-bit applications. Only Devart's driver covers dBase III to VII, Clipper, CodeBase and HiPer-Six, recovers corrupted data including indexes, offers high-performance local indexing and is verified with BI and ETL tools. Devart's driver also runs on macOS and Linux, and comes with a dedicated support team and regular updates.
vs. exporting to CSV or Excel
Exporting works for a one-off. For anything you do regularly, it's slow, error-prone and always out of date. You also lose data types along the way, so dates and numbers end up as text. A live ODBC connection keeps types intact and always shows current data.
vs. converting everything to a new database
A full migration is the right end goal for many teams, but it's a project, and the old system often has to keep running during it. The driver lets you use the data now, and it also works as the bridge for the migration itself, since you can read DBF tables with SQL and load them anywhere.
vs. writing your own DBF parser
DBF looks simple until you meet memo files, index formats, code pages and the differences between dBase, FoxPro and Clipper. A tested driver that already handles all of them, and recovers from corruption, costs far less than the developer time to get a home-made reader right.
Editions and Licensing
The driver is sold in three editions:
- Desktop: one desktop computer, one user at a time (directly or remotely).
- Server Standard: one server with up to 6 cores, for multiple concurrent users within one legal entity.
- Server Enterprise: one server with any number of cores, same terms.
Each edition comes as a subscription license, which needs an internet connection for activation and license checks, or a perpetual license for a specific version with offline activation. A Site license covers unlimited computers in one company, and an OEM license lets you embed and redistribute the driver royalty-free with your own application. Premium support is available as an add-on. Pricing starts at $139.95 USD for the Desktop edition on Windows with one year of support and upgrades.
FAQs
Which file formats does it support?
FoxPro 2, Visual FoxPro, dBase III through dBase 10, Clipper, CodeBase, HiPer-Six and other DBF formats.
Do I need FoxPro, dBase or a database server installed?
No. The driver reads and writes the DBF files directly, with no database client or extra libraries.
Can it write data, or only read it?
It can do both, including bulk updates. If you only want to read, use the Read Only connection mode added in version 6.1.0.
Can it open damaged DBF files?
Yes. It has options to ignore corrupted data and metadata errors when opening a table, so damaged records are skipped and the intact data, including indexes, is retrieved.
Does it work with Excel and Power BI?
Yes. Both are on Devart's list of verified tools, along with Tableau, QlikView, Access, SQL Server, DBeaver and many more.
Does it run on a Mac or Linux?
Yes. There are builds for macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon) and Linux (x86 and x64), as well as Windows.
32-bit or 64-bit?
Both. Install the one that matches the application connecting to your data. You can install both on Windows.
How much does it cost?
From $139.95 USD for the Desktop edition on Windows with one year of support and upgrades. Server, Site and OEM licenses are also available.
Is there a free trial?
Yes, a fully functional 30-day trial. Choose Trial in the License Information dialog during installation.
Can I bundle it with my own software?
Yes, with the OEM license, which allows royalty-free distribution and silent installation.
System Requirements
- Windows: x86 or x64, including Windows Terminal Server
- macOS: x64 or Apple Silicon (ARM)
- Linux: x86 or x64 (RPM and DEB packages)
- Applications: any ODBC-compliant application, 32-bit or 64-bit
- Other software: none required (no database client or extra libraries)
- Disk space: about 32 MB for the Windows installer
Conclusion
If your business still depends on FoxPro, dBase or Clipper data, you don't have to choose between leaving it locked away and a costly rewrite. Devart ODBC Driver for xBase makes those files available to Excel, Power BI, SQL Server, Python and hundreds of other tools through standard ODBC and ordinary SQL. It covers more xBase formats than Microsoft's driver, recovers data from damaged tables and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. The 30-day trial is fully functional, so the simplest test is to point it at a copy of your own files and see what comes back.