Need help accessing FoxPro database indexes

[Guest]

I am using MS Access 2003 and a third party software program that uses a
FoxPro database. I have created an odbc link to the FoxPro tables using the
Free Table Directory option in the DSN setup because there is no DBC file.
This appears to work as I can add data to the database and retrieve data from
it using Access. My problem comes when I run the third party software I have
to run their re-index data tables option to see the data that I added using
Access. How do I setup my ODBC connection so that it updates the FoxPro
index files?

 

[Albert D. Kallal]

I was under the impression that when you link these free tables, then
IF a filename with the SAME NAME is presence, but with the CDX
extension, then the visual FoxPro driver SHOULD also use that
index, and, as far as I know, will also maintain the index.

My problem comes when I run the third party software I
have
to run their re-index data tables option to see the data that I added
using
Access. How do I setup my ODBC connection so that it updates the FoxPro
index files?

Hum, perhaps you are not setting, or entering the key id field here
correctly?

And, is the cdx file the SAME name as the .dbf file? The odbc driver assumes
they are the same, but developers of Fox software DID NOT have to use the
same file name (sans the extension). If the files are different, you could
copy them, and test this concept.

To be honest, I never used the new driver to "update" the data.....

Further, you have to understand that FoxPro supported what is called complex
indexing. This means that you can actually have (call) code in FoxPro to
generate a expression, and that expression will get indexed. This allows for
some VERY cool types of indexes that are difficult to create in ms-access.
(a soundx search is a perfect example, and in ms-access to implement a
"sounds the same" search, I in fact store the soundex codes for each persons
name in each record in ms-access to accomplish this In FoxPro, you don't
have to do this, but just create a index on the "function" call calls the
code.

However, what this means is that some indexes in FoxPro in fact REQUIRE you
to have the ability to RUN FoxPro code!. This is simply not possible with
the ODBC driver. I don't think this is your case..but it is possible. You
might want to talk to the vendor of the software..and see what they have to
say concerning the use of indexs, and the use of the ODBC driver with their
product...