Hi all

I have a bunch of data stored on a Paradox database. I need to move it
to MySQL. The data was inserted with an application written in Borland
C++ Builder 5.
My problem is, the application is stored in a strange format. Initially
I thought all texts were stored in RTF, but after making them go
through MS Word, they didn't change, which obviously makes me think
that they may be stored in other formats.

Does anyone know anything about these formats? Are they native to
Paradox? Are they native to C++ Builder? Could they be something
someone came up with in the spur of the moment?

Many thanks,

Hieronimus,

Too little detail... See below...

Liz


Hieronimus wrote:
OK.

Inserted into what? The Paradox tables? or the MySQL tables?

Stored in which, the Paradox tables or MySQL tables?

Paradox blob type fields store either text (Memo and Formatted Memo
fields; in what is presumably a proprietary format) or binary
(Graphic, OLE, Binary types). Which was used depend on how the
designer designed it. It's also possible the application designer did
some modifications to the data outside the database (before writing,
after reading). Though I suspect that's unlikely. The tables could
also be encrypted (password-protected).

How are you trying to read the data from the Paradox tables - what
tool are you using?

Do you have Paradox the application? If so, getting your data to
MySQL is relatively easy with the ODBC driver for MySQL. If not,
someone else will have to give you ideas on how to do it with
Paradox. It may help them if they know what tools you do have (MS
Excel, MS Access, QuattroPro, dBASE, FoxPro, etc.).

Liz

Hi

Thanks for the quick reply.

I want to move my data from Paradox to MySQL, so all data is still
inside a Paradox db.
Since the data model is different between the two databases, I'm using
a PHP script to map the fields from Paradox to MySQL and handle all the
necessary inserts.

I'm investigating the Memo and FormattedMemo fields, they sound like
they might be the culprits. And just to add to this mess, I don't have
the full source for the applications that handles insertions into the
Paradox DB. And what I have, doesn't handle the db.

Argh.

Hieronimus wrote:

You'll get there. FYI, Paradox does NOT use monolithic storage like
Access's .mdb file. A Paradox .db file is only the table data. All
other stuff like indexes, memos, BLOBs, are stored in companion files.
Search your directory for file extensions like .PX, MB, etc.

Hi

I can get to the data. My problem is the format, especially Latin
characters. They're all mangled up and they don't seem to be in RTF,
the format I expected them to be.

Hieronimus wrote:

Hmmm, I'm not sure. Do you know any ObjectPAL? Here is the Help topic
for a function that dumps out RTfs.

************************************************** ************************
Writes a memo to an RTF file.

Syntax

writeToRTFFile ( const fileName String ) Logical

Description

writeToRTFFile writes a memo to an RTF disk file specified in fileName.
This method writes text including the formatting of formatted memos.
************************************************** ************************

Hieronimus wrote:
Would it be correct to say that you are using an ODBC driver in PHP to
read the Paradox tables? Which ODBC driver are you using (maker (MS
or Intersolv/Merant), version, date, etc.)?

If so, you should be able to just read the memo field and write it to
a corresponding MySQL field. You might lose some formatting (font,
color, underline, that kind of thing; as opposed to tabs and hard
returns which shouldn't be an issue), but I don't know a way around
that without full Paradox.



Do you have the Database Desktop (comes with most Borland programming
IDEs)? If so, it would let you look at the table structure and
determine field type.

Alternately:

1. Are you able to read field values and write them to MySQL (non-memo
fields, that is)?

2. Can you confirm the type of formatting you see in the original
application (font color, typeface, etc.; or is it just tabs and hard
returns)?

3. Are you able to read the memo fields and write them to MySQL, but
lose formatting in the process? Or are you not able to read? Or not
able to write? Or....?

4. Do you get any error messages in the process? If so, what are
they?

Anywho, some detail about what exactly is failing might give someone
the clue they need to help you.

Liz

Yeah, the data in the Paradox table is not going to be in RTF format.

Liz


Hieronimus wrote:

On 11 Apr 2006 10:13:58 -0700, "Hieronimus" <rui.pacheco (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote:

They are probably password protected, and therefore encrypted.


--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

Hieronimus wrote:
Let's look at the data. If it's in a Paradox database and you want to move
that data to a MySQL format, then you really don't have to care about the
C++ application. You can get at the data, either by buying a copy of
Paradox for Windows or by using an ODBC driver that recognizes the format.

When you are able to extract the raw data into a MySQL database table, you
may still encounter formatting or encoding issues ... this /could/ be what
you are referring-to as "a strange format." But we need to know a whole
lot more about what you are seeing and, quite obviously, what you have
already tried.


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