.dbf
 |
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| Developer(s) | dBase |
|---|---|
| Stable release |
7
|
| Operating system | Windows |
| Platform | x86 |
| Type | database file format |
| License | Commercial proprietary software |
| Website | www |
The .dbf file extension represents the dBASE database file. The file type was introduced in 1983 with the introduction of dBASE II. The file structure has evolved over the years to include many more features and capabilities and has introduced various other files to help support data storage and manipulation. The current .dbf file level is called Level 7. The .dbf format is supported by a number of database products.
The original dBASE database was started by Wayne Ratliff in 1978 and was known as Project Vulcan. At the time the file that held the data was a simple table that could have data added, modified, deleted and printed using ASCII characters set. As the product became more popular, the underlying file type .dbf was expanded and additional files were added to increase the capabilities of the database system. Keep in mind that dBASE is an IDE (integrated development environment), a database system, a compiler, and a database application builder. However, underneath all that is the .dbf file, which is the actual data storage mechanism. If you want to understand the structure at a much lower level, review the Level 5 DOS headers section of this article.
Project Vulcan (Level 1) There are no public records on the exact layout of the file the best information at this time is that it was a simple table that allows for adding, deleting, modifying, and printing out ASCII information. It was designed to run on 8-bit machine running CP/M.
dBASE II – MS-DOS (Level 2) was the first major release of Aston-Tate and offered many advancements above and beyond the simple table structure of the original tables found in Project Vulcan.
dBASE III – MSDOS (Level 2sh) was now completely focused on 16-bit operations and was introduced in 1.0 was released in June 1984. The underlying dBASE database was still based on an intermediate version of the dBASE II file format. The dBASE III file format is not compatible with the dBASE III+ format.
dBASE III+ – MS-DOS (Level 3) this starts the modern era of dBASE .dbf files. The dBASE III+ was introduced in December 1985 when the product was released.
Structure layout of the file type:
dBASE IV – MS-DOS (Level 4)'
dBASE V – MS-DOS (Level 5)
BDE – Borland Database Engine 2.52
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Wikipedia