[Solved] dbf files no longer link after update to 3.2

[hsemerson]

I use Calc to create .dbf files. I would still be using Excel, but I was forced to upgrade to Office 2007, and Excel 2007 doesn't have .dbf support.
I use the .dbf files to link to an Access database to produce Crystal Reports.
.dbf files worked fine until I updated to 3.2; now, any .dbf file I open in Calc no longer works with Access and Crystal Reports. Crystal Reports does not see the contents of the .dbf file. I don't even have to _edit_ the files with Calc 3.2; just _opening_ the .dbf files in Calc 3.2 "ruins" them.

My software specs:
OS = Windows XP
Crystal Reports 8.5 (and that's all I'll ever get)
I'm not allowed to have Access on my PC

Until such time as I can figure out a way to go BACK to OO 3.1, I'm using DBF Viewer 2000, which has far fewer features.

[hsemerson]

I found a copy of Excel 2003. Calc is still "ruining" my .dbf files, and my free copy of DBF Viewer has expired. I'll have to assume that the problem with my post is that I lack the capacity to explain it adequately.

[Villeroy]

IMHO it was a wise decision that MS dropped dbf support because it is too likely that a spreadsheet destroys your database tables. A single text value in a numeric field can make the file unusable for any database program.

dbf is a file format for dBase database tables. Base is far more suitable to handle these.
Keep your dbf in a dedicated directory.
File>New>Database...
Connect to existing database (option 3)
Type: dBase
Specify the directory and encoding
[x] Register the database
Save the database file, which will not store any data. It is just a configuration file to read the tables from your database directory.
You can open the tables for editing (Edit>Edit...) and specify the exact field types.
Base does not provide the full power of queries for this type of database but you can define very simple queries to get contents of a single table in any order of rows and columns.
You may also close and forget the database document alltogether.

The tables are accessible in the data source window without loading the databsase document. Simply hit F4 in Calc or Writer.
[Tutorial] Using registered datasources in Calc

Reports does not see the contents of the .dbf file. I don't even have to _edit_ the files with Calc 3.2; just _opening_ the .dbf files in Calc 3.2 "ruins" them.

Set the read-only flag in the file-open dialog.

[hsemerson]

.dbf files worked fine until I updated to 3.2;

To get down to the nitty gritty, why did Calc 3.1 work when Calc 3.2 does not? If this is a permanent feature of 3.2 and not a bug, how can I get 3.1 back?

[thomasjk]

Right here http://archive.services.openoffice.org/ ... ve/stable/.

[hsemerson]

Thanks! I uninstalled 3.2 and reinstalled 3.1.1, and my .dbf problem is fixed.

I hope 3.3 will work again.