Today, probably, no one needs to say that quite often many users come across files that have the .dbf extension. What is most sad, in Windows, even with the installed Microsoft Office package, no program is associated with this type of file. We have a DBF file. Than to open it, we will now try to figure it out. At the same time, let's see how you can establish an extension association for subsequent automatic data recognition and opening the file you are looking for.
DBF format: description
Actually, from the very abbreviation applied to the file extension of this type, we can already conclude that this is a database. It is somewhat specific, since usually such files have the extension .db (Data Base).
In this case, we have a different type of data, which, despite its specificity, is recognized by many programs that support working with this type of information. It can be the same Excel or Access, which are part of the main Microsoft Office suite, or any other office application from third-party developers.
How to open DBF as standard
In fact, if you suddenly come across a file of this type (the icon is not even used in the Explorer), you should not panic. It can be opened quite simply with the help of the Excel program, since it is in it that the entire logical structure and formatting of the text is preserved, taking into account the same cross-references and the possibility of using the standard search system.
Since no program is associated with the file itself in the standard version, there are two ways to proceed. It is recommended, for example, to simply run the Excel or Access program, and then use the standard file open menu or the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + O. However, in the menu that appears, in the file type field, specify “All files” (and not the “native” format), after Why choose the file you are looking for. Be sure: any spreadsheet program recognizes this data type without any problems.
As already clear, the problem of opening a DBF file, in our case, boils down to using a standard office application in manual mode. As already clear, this method is not always convenient and requires a certain amount of time.
Associated Programs
Now let's look at the DBF file itself. How to open it without using the standard office suite? Yes, the same utilities that are part of similar software products.
For example, it can be the same Open Office, Lotus, etc. In principle, there is not much difference here, since the role is played only by the fact that the program used is able to work with tabular electronic data. Reading the DBF format is exactly the same in all cases. By the way, this does not depend on the developer of the office suite, since everyone has support for this type of data, including even platforms like Oracle.
Change default opening options
Now let's see how to open DBF files so that automatic mode is used. In the simplest case, this is done from a submenu that is called by right-clicking on a file in the usual “Explorer”, where the “Open with ...” command is selected.
For a single case, one of the applications listed is used. In order not to puzzle yourself over how to open DBF files, you can simply indicate the selected application, and then put a “bird” below the line “Use for all files of this type”. The same Excel in the future (if it is selected as the default program) will open a file of this type with the usual double-click.
It goes without saying that instead of the Excel application, you can choose the same Access or other programs that can recognize and open this type of data. This is not the point. The main thing is to configure automatic opening of the database. Well, with what to work in terms of software, this is the business of each specific user of a computer system.
What is the result?
To summarize, it is worth saying that the optimal option when opening files of this type is, of course, an office suite from Microsoft Corporation, since it is it that is the most common in the whole world. True, there is nothing wrong with the fact that a user who does not use Microsoft products will open this type of data in any other application.
As is clear from the foregoing, table editors are present in almost all of today's well-known packages. They can differ from each other only by name, and certainly not by the functional set, which, as a rule, is the same everywhere, with rare exceptions.
Among other things, accordingly, you can use many development tools using a fairly large number of programming languages. On the same platform that supports the creation and optimization of SQL servers, such files open, as they say, at the moment. Upon opening, they will have a rather specific appearance, which is somewhat unusual for an ordinary user. However, most users are unlikely to use such professional development tools, and will be limited only to the standard software suite.