Does anybody know how to read an old .DAT informix file with some new technology or something?

The application is running in a DOS environment within a Novel network.

Any thoughts will be welcomed!

Horacio

You can choose between:
Informix SE or Standard Engine
Informix C-Isam
Informix C-Isam datablade with IDS 9.x

A .dat file is a C-Isam file. It might be interesting to know what version...

Well it is a pretty old application, from 1990 I guess and I'm not sure how to look what version is.

I'm not an Informix programmer, I'm from the ADO and JDBC side. So my next question is: those files might contain info about the fields? or I must know the file definition?

Thanks, and please let me know I I might contact you offline for furhter questions or perhaps to hire you.

Horacio Pellegrino

Well, I am not a real expert on the subject.
All I know is that C-Isam libraries allow you to read, modify, ... the files.
Informix SE is actually a database built with the C-Isam libraries. In that case, you will have a file for the systables table and for the syscolumns table which contains the info you're looking for.
It might be interesting to post this message on the Informix newsgroup. Lots of Informix developers are replying there...
Or you might find a utility on iiug.org or the informix developer zone...
You never know.
If you decide to use SE, the Informix JDBC driver can read the files...

Thank you very much! you gave me a great starting point. A few hours ago I was not knowing what I was dealing for!!

That's why we are here!

I might be able to help. I am very knowledgeable with the OLD Informix data base and in fact I am still using it today. You can email me at ggetts@mutualss.com to discuss the DAT file.

I am an expert with Informix-SQL version 2.10.06E for DOS 5.0.
I have legacy apps running in DOS 6.22, encapsulated within a virtual hard disk
from Microsoft Virtual PC 2007. If you still need any assistance in this area,
email me at frank@frankcomputer.com

If you visit my website: Frank Computer - Home
you will be able to see a video-demo of this isql app running in DOS/VPC.

We have software to read the .dat files from an informix SE database without using any Informix libraries or software.
If you have a .dbs directory with .dat and .idx files - its likely its an SE database..


See Aubit Computing Ltd.
for some more details..