Data file access

[philrock]

I am working on a program that accesses data in a database. So far, I have been building the database in Excel, then when ready to try something, I SaveAs a .dbf file. The only way I have been able to find to access the .dbf file is to put it in C:\Program Files\Common Files\Borland Shared\Data\, select the DBMEMOS DataBaseName in my Ttable, and select my .dbf file name as my TableName.

I tried to set it up so I can use my Excel file directly by selecting the Excel Files DataBaseName, but when I try to change the TableName, I am prompted for a user name and password. I tried my system user name and password, but they did not work.

Bottom line is that the file location is very inconvenient, and it would be nice to skip the step of converting to a .dbf file.

How can I access files in a different location?

How do I establish (or determine) user name and password for accessing Excel Files?

 

[Griffyn]

Each database accessed by the Borland Database Engine (BDE) needs an alias. Try looking here

http://delphi.about.com/od/dbbde/a/bdealiases.htm

for some info to get you started.

 

[philrock]

Thanks, Griffyn,

I managed to create an alias that allows me to access a .dbf file anywhere I specify, so I'm way ahead of where I was.

As I read Delphi help, it looks like I will not be able to access Excel files at all. Does this sound correct?

 

[Griffyn]

I don't use the BDE myself - I tend to use Access databases only, which don't require it (just use the TADOTable and the like set of components).

Try this link

http://delphi.about.com/od/database/l/aa090903a.htm

I'm just punching some terms into Google to find these - there's heaps of info out there.