Database decompression

We are using Mail Order Manager v5 written on FoxPro 8. We need to export
data from Items.FPT from MOM to Excel (and then on to our database program)
for database usage. However, Items.FPT seems to be a compressed file and we
are unable to access it for export. How do we decompress the file?

Thank you,

Ruth McCormick

Olaf
Tue Oct 26 11:01:36 CDT 2004

Hi tripple,

> We are using Mail Order Manager v5 written on FoxPro 8. We need to export
> data from Items.FPT from MOM to Excel (and then on to our database program)
> for database usage. However, Items.FPT seems to be a compressed file and we
> are unable to access it for export. How do we decompress the file?
That's not compressed, it's a file containing the contents of Memo-Fields
of a table Items.DBF. You'll surely find such a file too.

Maybe you shouldn't try to import the data from excel, but
export it from foxpro. The Foxpro 9 beta is available and if
it is a one time job and depending on the value of this data and
your internet connection speed it's worth the download:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vfoxpro

But what database is the real destination? There may be a
better way than going through excel...

Bye, Olaf.

Anders
Wed Oct 27 06:52:51 CDT 2004

Hi Ruth
Usually a *.FPT file is the variable length (memo) part of a *.DBF table by
the same name, Items.DBF. The .DBF holds the fixed- length data and the
table header. This table may be connected with a database container file,
mydatabase.DBC.
From Excel you would open this with VFPOLEDB, and create connection to the
.DBC if there is one, else point to the folder where the DBF is.
This would allow you to query for the memo data or all the columns of this
table.
If the data is encrypted you're out of luck unless the database opens and
manages decryption through a stored procedure, I suppose.
The standard way to create an Excel file in VFP is with thise commands
USE <table>
COPY TO x.xls TYPE XL5
However this command excludes memo data!
you could try this in VFP.
If theres' a DBC database. first
OPEN DATABASE ?
else set A DEFAULT FOLDER WITH
CD ?
then
SELECT LEFT (memofield,100) AS memofield FROM <Table> INTO CURSOR Query1
_VFP.DataToClip (,,3)
Then switch to Excel and paste the clipboard into a worksheet.
If this truncates data try LEFT(memo,254)
-Anders

"tripple" <tripple@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:321C6983-33E6-4CCD-A527-ACB585E1B608@microsoft.com...
> We are using Mail Order Manager v5 written on FoxPro 8. We need to export
> data from Items.FPT from MOM to Excel (and then on to our database
program)
> for database usage. However, Items.FPT seems to be a compressed file and
we
> are unable to access it for export. How do we decompress the file?
>
> Thank you,
>
> Ruth McCormick

Anders
Wed Oct 27 07:08:32 CDT 2004

Hi Ruth
Usually a *.FPT file is the variable length (memo) part of a *.DBF table by
the same name, Items.DBF. The .DBF holds the fixed- length data and the
table header. This table may be connected with a database container file,
mydatabase.DBC.
From Excel you would open this with VFPOLEDB, and create connection to the
.DBC if there is one, else point to the folder where the DBF is.
This would allow you to query for the memo data or all the columns of this
table.
If the data is encrypted you're out of luck unless the database opens and
manages decryption through a stored procedure, I suppose.
The standard way to create an Excel file in VFP is with thise commands
USE <table>
COPY TO x.xls TYPE XL5
However this command excludes memo data!
you could try this in VFP.
If theres' a DBC database. first
OPEN DATABASE ?
else set A DEFAULT FOLDER WITH
CD ?
then
SELECT <memofield> FROM <Table> INTO CURSOR Query1
_VFP.DataToClip (,,3)
Then switch to Excel and paste the clipboard into a worksheet.

-Anders

"tripple" <tripple@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:321C6983-33E6-4CCD-A527-ACB585E1B608@microsoft.com...
> We are using Mail Order Manager v5 written on FoxPro 8. We need to export
> data from Items.FPT from MOM to Excel (and then on to our database
program)
> for database usage. However, Items.FPT seems to be a compressed file and
we
> are unable to access it for export. How do we decompress the file?
>
> Thank you,
>
> Ruth McCormick

Anders
Wed Oct 27 07:08:44 CDT 2004

Hi Ruth
Usually a *.FPT file is the variable length (memo) part of a *.DBF table by
the same name, Items.DBF. The .DBF holds the fixed- length data and the
table header. This table may be connected with a database container file,
mydatabase.DBC.
From Excel you would open this with VFPOLEDB, and create connection to the
.DBC if there is one, else point to the folder where the DBF is.
This would allow you to query for the memo data or all the columns of this
table.
If the data is encrypted you're out of luck unless the database opens and
manages decryption through a stored procedure, I suppose.
The standard way to create an Excel file in VFP is with thise commands
USE <table>
COPY TO x.xls TYPE XL5
However this command excludes memo data!
you could try this in VFP.
If theres' a DBC database. first
OPEN DATABASE ?
else set A DEFAULT FOLDER WITH
CD ?
then
SELECT <memofield> FROM <Table> INTO CURSOR Query1
_VFP.DataToClip (,,3)
Then switch to Excel and paste the clipboard into a worksheet.

-Anders

"tripple" <tripple@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:321C6983-33E6-4CCD-A527-ACB585E1B608@microsoft.com...
> We are using Mail Order Manager v5 written on FoxPro 8. We need to export
> data from Items.FPT from MOM to Excel (and then on to our database
program)
> for database usage. However, Items.FPT seems to be a compressed file and
we
> are unable to access it for export. How do we decompress the file?
>
> Thank you,
>
> Ruth McCormick