Linking DBF Data Failure

SerranoG · April 13th, 2005, 08:23 AM

Here's a weird situation. My MDB (Access XP) links to a dBase III file (DBF). If I try to link to the file as is, that is mi_stat_rev_void.dbf, then I get this error:

"The Microsoft Jet database engine could not find the object 'mi_stat_rev_void.dbf'. Make sure the object exists and that you spell its name and the path name correctly."

However, if I shorten the file name to mi_stat.dbf then the link is successful. I'm trying to avoid having to do this extra renaming step every time I want to get updated data. The DBF file names are not under my control so I cannot just make sure the DBF gets the short name to begin with.

Any clues? Thanks in advance.

Greg Serrano
Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality, Air Quality Division

pgtips · April 13th, 2005, 08:51 AM

Strange. Maybe you can link to its 8.3 format name instead, it will be something like mi_sta~1.dbf, you can find out exactly what it is by using "dir /x" from the DOS prompt.

hth
Phil

SerranoG · April 13th, 2005, 09:31 AM

Yes, that worked. I was able to link to it using its DOS 8.3 filename format. That's definitely a bug in Access. Thanks!

Greg Serrano
Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality, Air Quality Division

rjweers · April 14th, 2005, 04:47 AM

Actually, to be precise, if it is a bug, then it is a bug in "Jet" not "Access". As the guys at Microsoft like to tell me, Access is just a UI that uses Jet and whatever capabilities it has. Of course if you can set up a DSN in Data Sources using the dBase File driver on the long file name, then the problem is actually that Access doesn't interface with the driver correctly.

I have heard that performance over a network is better if you link only to the 8.3 file name format. Maybe this has something to do with how Jet was written.

Randall J Weers
Membership Vice President
Pacific NorthWest Access Developers Group
http://www.pnwadg.org

andi1907 · April 3rd, 2008, 04:09 AM

Thank god i found this post, I spent half of yesterday to figure out why I could'nt link to some dbf files (unfortunately i'm not able to just rename them...)
strange thing is, that my colleague at work is using the same system and office set up (xp sp3 and office 2003 sp3) and everything works just fine on her machine.
Finally tried to link to the DOS 8.3 filename today, and now it works ...