Converting files from DBF into Filepro

[Cutting Edge Laser Inc.]

This is a common thing for us as well.  It is a real pain in the butt.  
What I usually do is open the DBF file and then create a text file.  
Then I use the IMPORT process and import the file into the required 
lengths. 

Using dd can be a real pain due to the fact that the header is often a 
different length for each file.

Scott Doern
Cutting Edge Laser Inc.



Laura Brody wrote:

> On Thu, 06 Jan 2005 07:51:13 -0500, Tom Pancero 
> <postmaster at cobbinc.com> wrote:
>
>> Greetings all.
>>
>> Red Hat 8  --  Filepro 4.8
>>
>> I regularly receive data files from customers that are used in the
>> preparation of commercial bulk mail.
>>
>> I am interested in a better approach to converting them to Filepro
>> than the current one;
>>
>> Use 'dd' to strip off the header and create a temporary file for the
>> remaining data which is in a fixed field length format.
>>
>> Next I use a Filepro file configured as a 'Non Filepro' key that reads
>> the data elements and uses an automatic processing table to create a
>> 'Maillist' record that we ultimatly mail from.
>>
>> There is no provision for dealing with any changes in the makeup
>> of the DBF file so each time I get one of these I really need to take
>> a closer than normal look at the data.
>>
>> Anyone have a better approach?
>
>
>     Is there a problem with using the foxcopy utility?
> I use dbcopy on Windows to pull DBF files into filePro. I
> have it create a temporary filePro file and then run a
> report to add the records into a final filePro file.
>
>     What kind of changes to the file? If it is just the
> length of fields, my method wouldn't care. If they change
> the order of the fields, my copy from the temp file to
> the final file wouldn't like it very much. You would have
> to deal with this no matter what.
>
>