CloneDBC Available with Advantage OLEDB Update

With the release of Advantage 9 we added native support for the VFP 9 data types. Unfortunately we could not add support for the FoxPro database container (dbc). However, our Advantage data dictionary (ADD) provides the same functionality. With the initial release we included a program called DBCConvert which read the DBC and created an ADD which contained all the compatible features. The ADD could then be used to access the DBF data with an Advantage enabled application.

With the latest update of the Advantage OLEDB provider we have replaced the DBCConvert program with a new utility called CloneDBC, read the announcement here. This is a VFP application which simplifies the process of creating an ADD that points to the same data as an existing DBC. The utility includes a graphical interface which allows users to browse for a DBC to convert. The new utility has also been enhanced enabling it to copy more objects from the DBC than before.

The chart below highlights the differences between the original utility and the new utility.

DBCConvert.prg	CloneDBC.app
FoxPro program code, reads the DBC currently open in FoxPro	GUI based application allows for selection of DBC
Does not convert views with "ORDER BY" clause	Option to strip ORDER BY from views
Cannot create referential integrity rules if NOT DELETED() is not specified keys in the relation	Option to add NOT DELETED() to keys in relations

It is important to note that neither of these utilities make any changes to the DBC file or the tables. The utility simply reads the DBC and creates an ADD that contains all of the compatible objects. The new ADD will contain references to all the tables, views and referential integrity rules. We can not currently convert triggers or stored procedures.

You can download the latest version of the Advantage OLE DB provider from the Advantage Developer Zone.