Access 2013 - Dbase (.dbf) Table Import option

Anonymous
2013-02-03T16:16:55+00:00

I need to be able to import read/write Dbase dbf tables - yes they are still around so why has the standard option that was in Access 2010 gone?

I have seen mention of ISAM, which is gobbledegook to me. So please a simple answer - what do I need to install or change and how do I do it?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Access | For home | Windows

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ScottGem 68,840 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2016-09-08T09:08:22+00:00

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-01-16T23:21:47+00:00

    I really need the option to import and link .dbf files to Access. Why does this not work anymore? Is it so difficult? Does it hurt? What happened? This is essential for some businesses.

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  2. George Hepworth 23,120 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2015-01-19T19:05:12+00:00

    Please read the entire thread to get a better understanding of "what happened".

    Microsoft made the decision to drop support for linking to .dbf files in Access 2013. I am not privy to the discussions that preceded this decision. The only public comment from Microsoft that I am aware of has been to the effect that it was used by a relatively small number of users. If you happen to be one of those users who needed it, you are greatly inconvenienced.  If not, it's sort of a non-issue.

    If you read the whole thread, you'll find at least a couple of work-arounds that are perfectly viable, if not convenient.

    I suggest that everyone who feels this deprecation is a serious problem should direct your complaints directly to Microsoft. (And no, I'll leave it to you to find a contact point. ) Perhaps hearing from a large number disaffected users will move them.

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-02-02T22:06:06+00:00

    I used ADODB Connection in VBA to select and manipulate .dbf files in msaccess 2013.

    A li'l bit of coding but it worked for me!

    So, someone must create a library/functions/sync library to make this easier.

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  4. George Hepworth 23,120 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2015-02-03T03:12:40+00:00

    Congratulations on coming up with still another option.

    If you'd like to share your solution, I would imagine a lot of the other posters in the discussion would be grateful for the assistance.

    Perhaps an enterprising developer will see it as a source of revenue and develop and sell the tools you mention. I don't know what the size of that market would be, though. Enough to justify the effort I would hope.

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