Connect to xBase Data from PowerBuilder via ODBC

The CData ODBC Driver for xBase can be used from any platform or development technology that supports ODBC, including PowerBuilder. This article shows how to connect to xBase data and execute queries from the Database Painter and controls such as the DataWindow.

Connect to xBase as an ODBC Data Source

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

The DataSource property must be set to the name of the folder that contains the .dbf files. Specify the IncludeFiles property to work with xBase table files having extensions that differ from .dbf. Specify multiple extensions in a comma-separated list.

Create a Profile for the ODBC Driver for xBase

Follow the steps below to use the Database Painter tool to create a database profile based on an ODBC DSN (data source name) for xBase. In the Database Painter, you can use wizards and the UI to work with xBase data.

1. In PowerBuilder, click Tools -> Database Painter.
2. In the Objects window in the Database Painter, right-click the ODBC node and click New Profile.
3. On the Connection tab, enter a name for the profile and select the xBase DSN in the Data Source menu. 👁 The ODBC DSN, required to create the Database Profile. (Salesforce is shown.)
   
4. To view and modify a table, right-click a table and then click Edit Data -> Grid.

Using xBase Data with PowerBuilder Controls

You can use standard PowerBuilder objects to connect to ODBC data sources and execute queries. The following example shows how to retrieve xBase data into a DataWindow. You can add the following code to the open method:

SQLCA.DBMS = "ODBC"
SQLCA.DBParm = "ConnectString='DSN=CData xBase Source'"
CONNECT USING SQLCA;
dw_invoices.SetTransObject(SQLCA);
dw_invoices.Retrieve();