Use Microsoft Access as the Backend Database for Biblioscape 4

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Use Microsoft Access as the Backend Database for Biblioscape 4 - December 25, 2000

The following text only applies to Biblioscape before version 5.

By default, Biblioscape uses Paradox database to store its data. You can use Corel Paradox to access the tables, even add new tables. You can also use Microsoft Access to do the same with Paradox tables. Just start Microsoft Access and go to menu command "File | Get External Data | Link Tables...". However, if you want to store Biblioscape data in Microsoft Access database, you can still use Biblioscape to access it. Microsoft Access is the most popular desktop database. You can integrate Biblioscape database with other systems to fit your special needs, or to be part of larger information system in your organization. The following example shows you how to transfer data from an existing Biblioscape database into an Access database.

1. Start Biblioscape, open the database you want to convert to Access. Go to menu command "File | Database | Rebuild Database". Quit Biblioscape.

2. Run "C:\Program Files\Biblioscape 4\Tools\Rebuild.exe". Click "Custom Rebuild" button. Click the "Browse" button, go to the Biblioscape database directory and select "link_rec.db". Click the "Rebuild Table" button. After table rebuild, quit the rebuild.exe program. If table "link_rec.db" is not rebuilt, Access won't be able to import it.

3. Start Microsoft Access. Create a new database or open an existing database. To import Paradox tables, click menu command "File | Get External Data | Import...". On the file open dialog Window, select "Paradox (*.db)" as the "Files of type" filter. Then go to the Biblioscape database directory, and select all the tables one by one and click the "Import" button to import into Access database.

4. After all Paradox tables are imported into Access database, select the table "chart" and open it. Go to the design mode by clicking menu command "View | Design View". Add a new field called "chart" and set its Data Type to "OLE Object". We have to do this, because Access can't import the chart field from Paradox table chart.db correctly. So this field has to be created manually in Access chart table. If you have any charts in old Biblioscape database. You have to open the chart in Biblioscape, then save it as a chart file. Then after the whole database is converted into Access database, open the Access database. Go to the Chart module, open each chart, and read each saved chart file into the database.

5. Next, we need to create an ODBC DSN for the Access database we have just created. On the Windows Control Panel, double click the ODBC data source icon to start the ODBC Data Source Administrator.

6. On the ODBC Data Source Administrator window, click the "System DSN" tab. Click "Add..." button to create a new DSN.

7. Enter a data source name first. Let's call it "bsp40_access2000". Then click the "Select..." button to select the Access database file. Click the OK button to close the Window.

8. Now, we need to create a BDE alias pointing to the DSN we just created. Run "c:\program files\common files\borland shared\bde\bdeadmin.exe". Click menu command "Object | New...". Select "Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb)" as the Database Driver Name. Change the BDE alias to a desired name. In our example, it is called "ODBC_bsp40_access2000".

9. On the right panel of BDE alias, under section "ODBC DSN", select or enter the DSN we created in step 7. Close the BDE window to save the alias created.

10. Finally, we need to create "*.bss" file for Biblioscape to open. Run Biblioscape. Click menu command "File | Database | Configure Server Database...". Click button "New" to create the database access file. Select the database alias. In our example, it is called "ODBC_bsp40_access2000". Check the box "Login database without prompt". So you don't need to enter User Name and Password each time you open this database. Since Access is a desktop database and require no password to login by default, just leave both User Name and Password box blank. Click OK button to close the Window.

11. Once the *.bss file is created. Go to Biblioscape menu command "File | Database | Open Database". Select the *.bss file you created in step 10. You can then use Biblioscape with Microsoft Access as the backend database.

Click here to download a sample database in Access 2000 format.