Which legacy file formats we still read and migrate

← Legacy systems

We read and convert data files from packages that have not been sold for years: dBase, Clipper, FoxPro, Paradox and anything that ran through the Borland Database Engine. We do this by reading the file format itself, so the original package, a licence or an old machine are no longer needed.

Updated on 28 August 2026

DOS and Windows databases

Formats from the 1980s and 1990s that still turn up on disks and in archives.

dBase (.dbf)

The format many administrative packages of that era ran on. Usually readable, even when the separate index files are missing or damaged.

Clipper

A dBase variant with its own index and memo files (.ntx, .dbt). We extract the data and leave the original programs alone.

FoxPro (.dbf)

Related to dBase, with its own extensions. Memo fields and compound indexes need extra care when reading.

Paradox (.db)

Individual table files with separate index and memo files. A damaged index can often be rebuilt as long as the table itself is readable.

Borland Database Engine and Delphi databases

The BDE was the standard layer under Delphi applications for years and has long been unmaintained. If an application still runs on it, that is usually the first thing needing attention.

Paradox through the BDE

The classic combination under older Delphi programs. We read the tables directly, bypassing the BDE.

Interbase and Firebird (.gdb, .fdb)

Firebird is still widely used and migrates to a current platform without drama. Old Interbase files are generally readable.

ElevateDB and DBISAM

Databases built into the application itself. Readable and transferable to MS-SQL or PostgreSQL.

Microsoft Access (.mdb, .accdb)

Still common in smaller companies. Usually a matter of moving to a server database once more than a handful of people work with it.

What happens next

Reading the data is step one. Almost always the goal is for the data to continue somewhere else.

Transfer

To MS-SQL, PostgreSQL, MySQL or MariaDB, preserving the field layout and the relations between tables.

Verify

Comparing record counts, data types, dates and accented characters between source and target. We supply that comparison.

Character sets

Old files often sit in a DOS code page. Without conversion, accented and special characters become unreadable.

Your format not listed? It is usually readable anyway. What matters is whether the files are complete and the structure can still be determined — send us a sample file and we will tell you what is possible.

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