xBase Connection Details

Introduction

Connector Version

This documentation is based on version 25.0.9368 of the connector.

Get Started

xBase Version Support

The connector enables you to connect with .dbf files including those used in FoxPro 2.6 and Clipper. The connector supports the dBase III dialect. The connector requires access to a local file folder containing the table files.

Establish a Connection

The DataSource property must be set to the name of the folder that contains the .dbf files. Specify the IncludeFiles property to work with xBase table files having extensions that differ from .dbf. Specify multiple extensions in a comma-separated list. Specify the CodePage property to set correct encoding for text fields in .dbf tables.

Important Notes

Configuration Files and Their Paths

• All references to adding configuration files and their paths refer to files and locations on the Jitterbit agent where the connector is installed. These paths are to be adjusted as appropriate depending on the agent and the operating system. If multiple agents are used in an agent group, identical files will be required on each agent.

Advanced Features

This section details a selection of advanced features of the xBase connector.

User Defined Views

The connector supports the use of user defined views, virtual tables whose contents are decided by a pre-configured user defined query. These views are useful when you cannot directly control queries being issued to the drivers. For an overview of creating and configuring custom views, see User Defined Views.

SSL Configuration

Use SSL Configuration to adjust how connector handles TLS/SSL certificate negotiations. You can choose from various certificate formats. For further information, see the SSLServerCert property under "Connection String Options".

Proxy

To configure the connector using private agent proxy settings, select the Use Proxy Settings checkbox on the connection configuration screen.

Query Processing

The connector offloads as much of the SELECT statement processing as possible to xBase and then processes the rest of the query in memory (client-side).

For further information, see Query Processing.

Log

For an overview of configuration settings that can be used to refine logging, see Logging. Only two connection properties are required for basic logging, but there are numerous features that support more refined logging, which enables you to use the LogModules connection property to specify subsets of information to be logged.

User Defined Views

The xBase connector supports the use of user defined views: user-defined virtual tables whose contents are decided by a preconfigured query. User defined views are useful in situations where you cannot directly control the query being issued to the driver; for example, when using the driver from Jitterbit.

Use a user defined view to define predicates that are always applied. If you specify additional predicates in the query to the view, they are combined with the query already defined as part of the view.

There are two ways to create user defined views:

• Create a JSON-formatted configuration file defining the views you want.
• DDL statements.

Define Views Using a Configuration File

User defined views are defined in a JSON-formatted configuration file called UserDefinedViews.json. The connector automatically detects the views specified in this file.

You can also have multiple view definitions and control them using the UserDefinedViews connection property. When you use this property, only the specified views are seen by the connector.

This user defined view configuration file is formatted so that each root element defines the name of a view, and includes a child element, called query, which contains the custom SQL query for the view.

For example:

{
    "MyView": {
        "query": "SELECT * FROM Orders WHERE MyColumn = 'value'"
    },
    "MyView2": {
        "query": "SELECT * FROM MyTable WHERE Id IN (1,2,3)"
    }
}

Use the UserDefinedViews connection property to specify the location of your JSON configuration file. For example:

"UserDefinedViews", "C:\Users\yourusername\Desktop\tmp\UserDefinedViews.json"

Define Views Using DDL Statements

The connector is also capable of creating and altering the schema via DDL Statements such as CREATE LOCAL VIEW, ALTER LOCAL VIEW, and DROP LOCAL VIEW.

Create a View

To create a new view using DDL statements, provide the view name and query as follows:

CREATE LOCAL VIEW [MyViewName] AS SELECT * FROM Customers LIMIT 20;

If no JSON file exists, the above code creates one. The view is then created in the JSON configuration file and is now discoverable. The JSON file location is specified by the UserDefinedViews connection property.

Alter a View

To alter an existing view, provide the name of an existing view alongside the new query you would like to use instead:

ALTER LOCAL VIEW [MyViewName] AS SELECT * FROM Customers WHERE TimeModified > '3/1/2020';

The view is then updated in the JSON configuration file.

Drop a View

To drop an existing view, provide the name of an existing schema alongside the new query you would like to use instead.

DROP LOCAL VIEW [MyViewName]

This removes the view from the JSON configuration file. It can no longer be queried.

Schema for User Defined Views

In order to avoid a view's name clashing with an actual entity in the data model, user defined views are exposed in the UserViews schema by default. To change the name of the schema used for UserViews, reset the UserViewsSchemaName property.

Work with User Defined Views

For example, a SQL statement with a user defined view called UserViews.RCustomers only lists customers in Raleigh:

SELECT * FROM Customers WHERE City = 'Raleigh';

An example of a query to the driver:

SELECT * FROM UserViews.RCustomers WHERE Status = 'Active';

Resulting in the effective query to the source:

SELECT * FROM Customers WHERE City = 'Raleigh' AND Status = 'Active';

That is a very simple example of a query to a user defined view that is effectively a combination of the view query and the view definition. It is possible to compose these queries in much more complex patterns. All SQL operations are allowed in both queries and are combined when appropriate.

SSL Configuration

Customize the SSL Configuration

By default, the connector attempts to negotiate TLS with the server. The server certificate is validated against the default system trusted certificate store. You can override how the certificate gets validated using the SSLServerCert connection property.

To specify another certificate, see the SSLServerCert connection property.

Data Model

The connector enables you to connect with .dbf files including those used in FoxPro 2.6 and Clipper. The connector supports the dBase III dialect. The connector requires access to a local file folder containing the table files.

The xBase connector dynamically obtains the schemas; reconnect to pick up any changes in the metadata, such as added or removed columns or changes in data type.

System Tables

You can query the system tables described in this section to access schema information, information on data source functionality, and batch operation statistics.

Schema Tables

The following tables return database metadata for xBase:

• sys_catalogs: Lists the available databases.
• sys_schemas: Lists the available schemas.
• sys_tables: Lists the available tables and views.
• sys_tablecolumns: Describes the columns of the available tables and views.
• sys_procedures: Describes the available stored procedures.
• sys_procedureparameters: Describes stored procedure parameters.
• sys_keycolumns: Describes the primary and foreign keys.
• sys_indexes: Describes the available indexes.

Data Source Tables

The following tables return information about how to connect to and query the data source:

• sys_connection_props: Returns information on the available connection properties.
• sys_sqlinfo: Describes the SELECT queries that the connector can offload to the data source.

Query Information Tables

The following table returns query statistics for data modification queries:

• sys_identity: Returns information about batch operations or single updates.

sys_catalogs

Lists the available databases.

The following query retrieves all databases determined by the connection string:

SELECT * FROM sys_catalogs

Columns

sys_schemas

Lists the available schemas.

The following query retrieves all available schemas:

SELECT * FROM sys_schemas

Columns

sys_tables

Lists the available tables.

The following query retrieves the available tables and views:

SELECT * FROM sys_tables

Columns

sys_tablecolumns

Describes the columns of the available tables and views.

The following query returns the columns and data types for the Orders table:

SELECT ColumnName, DataTypeName FROM sys_tablecolumns WHERE TableName='Orders'

Columns

sys_procedures

Lists the available stored procedures.

The following query retrieves the available stored procedures:

SELECT * FROM sys_procedures

Columns

sys_procedureparameters

Describes stored procedure parameters.

The following query returns information about all of the input parameters for the SelectEntries stored procedure:

SELECT * FROM sys_procedureparameters WHERE ProcedureName = 'SelectEntries' AND Direction = 1 OR Direction = 2

To include result set columns in addition to the parameters, set the IncludeResultColumns pseudo column to True:

SELECT * FROM sys_procedureparameters WHERE ProcedureName = 'SelectEntries' AND IncludeResultColumns='True'

Columns

Pseudo-Columns

sys_keycolumns

Describes the primary and foreign keys.

The following query retrieves the primary key for the Orders table:

SELECT * FROM sys_keycolumns WHERE IsKey='True' AND TableName='Orders'

Columns

sys_foreignkeys

Describes the foreign keys.

The following query retrieves all foreign keys which refer to other tables:

SELECT * FROM sys_foreignkeys WHERE ForeignKeyType = 'FOREIGNKEY_TYPE_IMPORT'

Columns

sys_primarykeys

Describes the primary keys.

The following query retrieves the primary keys from all tables and views:

SELECT * FROM sys_primarykeys

Columns

sys_indexes

Describes the available indexes. By filtering on indexes, you can write more selective queries with faster query response times.

The following query retrieves all indexes that are not primary keys:

SELECT * FROM sys_indexes WHERE IsPrimary='false'

Columns

sys_connection_props

Returns information on the available connection properties and those set in the connection string.

The following query retrieves all connection properties that have been set in the connection string or set through a default value:

SELECT * FROM sys_connection_props WHERE Value <> ''

Columns

sys_sqlinfo

Describes the SELECT query processing that the connector can offload to the data source.

Discover the Data Source's SELECT Capabilities

Below is an example data set of SQL capabilities. Some aspects of SELECT functionality are returned in a comma-separated list if supported; otherwise, the column contains NO.

The following query retrieves the operators that can be used in the WHERE clause:

SELECT * FROM sys_sqlinfo WHERE Name = 'SUPPORTED_OPERATORS'

Note that individual tables may have different limitations or requirements on the WHERE clause; refer to the Data Model section for more information.

Columns

sys_identity

Returns information about attempted modifications.

The following query retrieves the Ids of the modified rows in a batch operation:

SELECT * FROM sys_identity

Columns

sys_information

Describes the available system information.

The following query retrieves all columns:

SELECT * FROM sys_information

Columns

Advanced Configurations Properties

The advanced configurations properties are the various options that can be used to establish a connection. This section provides a complete list of the options you can configure. Click the links for further details.

Database

Schema

Miscellaneous

Database

This section provides a complete list of the Database properties you can configure.

DataSource

The path to the folder containing the .dbf files.

Data Type

string

Default Value

./

Remarks

The path to the folder containing the .dbf files or files specified in IncludeFiles. If you leave this property blank the property is assigned with a reference to the current directory, "./". The explicit path depends on the environment of the running application.

IncludeFiles

Comma-separated list of file extensions to include into the set of table-content files.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

Comma-separated list of file extensions to include into the set of table-content files. Do not list memo-file extensions here. The default is DBF.

CodePage

The code page to use for decoding character fields.

Data Type

string

Default Value

UTF-8

Remarks

The code page to use for decoding character fields. Default value is UTF8.

Schema

This section provides a complete list of schema properties you can configure.

Location

Specifies the location of a directory containing schema files that define tables, views, and stored procedures. Depending on your service's requirements, this may be expressed as either an absolute path or a relative path.

Data Type

string

Default Value

%APPDATA%\xBase Data Provider\Schema

Remarks

The Location property is only needed if you want to either customize definitions (for example, change a column name, ignore a column, etc.) or extend the data model with new tables, views, or stored procedures.

If left unspecified, the default location is %APPDATA%\xBase Data Provider\Schema, where %APPDATA% is set to the user's configuration directory:

BrowsableSchemas

Optional setting that restricts the schemas reported to a subset of all available schemas. For example, BrowsableSchemas=SchemaA,SchemaB,SchemaC.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

Listing all available database schemas can take extra time, thus degrading performance. Providing a list of schemas in the connection string saves time and improves performance.

Tables

Optional setting that restricts the tables reported to a subset of all available tables. For example, Tables=TableA,TableB,TableC.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

Listing all available tables from some databases can take extra time, thus degrading performance. Providing a list of tables in the connection string saves time and improves performance.

If there are lots of tables available and you already know which ones you want to work with, you can use this property to restrict your viewing to only those tables. To do this, specify the tables you want in a comma-separated list. Each table should be a valid SQL identifier with any special characters escaped using square brackets, double-quotes or backticks. For example, Tables=TableA,[TableB/WithSlash],WithCatalog.WithSchema.`TableC With Space`.

Views

Optional setting that restricts the views reported to a subset of the available tables. For example, Views=ViewA,ViewB,ViewC.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

Listing all available views from some databases can take extra time, thus degrading performance. Providing a list of views in the connection string saves time and improves performance.

If there are lots of views available and you already know which ones you want to work with, you can use this property to restrict your viewing to only those views. To do this, specify the views you want in a comma-separated list. Each view should be a valid SQL identifier with any special characters escaped using square brackets, double-quotes or backticks. For example, Views=ViewA,[ViewB/WithSlash],WithCatalog.WithSchema.`ViewC With Space`.

Miscellaneous

This section provides a complete list of miscellaneous properties you can configure.

EmptyStringIsNull

Tells provider to expose empty strings as null values.

Data Type

bool

Default Value

false

Remarks

Tells provider to expose empty strings as null values. Default value is False.

ExcludeFileExtensions

Set to true if file extensions should be excluded from table names.

Data Type

bool

Default Value

false

Remarks

Set to true if file extensions should be excluded from table names. For example, if set to True, this will make table `users.dbf` appear as `users`.

MaxRows

Specifies the maximum rows returned for queries without aggregation or GROUP BY.

Data Type

int

Default Value

-1

Remarks

This property sets an upper limit on the number of rows the connector returns for queries that do not include aggregation or GROUP BY clauses. This limit ensures that queries do not return excessively large result sets by default.

When a query includes a LIMIT clause, the value specified in the query takes precedence over the MaxRows setting. If MaxRows is set to "-1", no row limit is enforced unless a LIMIT clause is explicitly included in the query.

This property is useful for optimizing performance and preventing excessive resource consumption when executing queries that could otherwise return very large datasets.

Other

Specifies additional hidden properties for specific use cases. These are not required for typical provider functionality. Use a semicolon-separated list to define multiple properties.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property allows advanced users to configure hidden properties for specialized scenarios. These settings are not required for normal use cases but can address unique requirements or provide additional functionality. Multiple properties can be defined in a semicolon-separated list.

Specify multiple properties in a semicolon-separated list.

Integration and Formatting

PseudoColumns

Specifies the pseudocolumns to expose as table columns. Use the format 'TableName=ColumnName;TableName=ColumnName'. The default is an empty string, which disables this property.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property allows you to define which pseudocolumns the connector exposes as table columns.

To specify individual pseudocolumns, use the following format: "Table1=Column1;Table1=Column2;Table2=Column3"

To include all pseudocolumns for all tables use: "*=*"

SetExactOn

Mimics beahviour of SET EXACT ON mode in Microsoft OLE DB provider.

Data Type

bool

Default Value

false

Remarks

UserDefinedViews

Specifies a filepath to a JSON configuration file defining custom views. The provider automatically detects and uses the views specified in this file.

Data Type

string

Default Value

""

Remarks

This property allows you to define and manage custom views through a JSON-formatted configuration file called UserDefinedViews.json. These views are automatically recognized by the connector and enable you to execute custom SQL queries as if they were standard database views. The JSON file defines each view as a root element with a child element called "query", which contains the SQL query for the view. For example:

{
    "MyView": {
        "query": "SELECT * FROM Orders WHERE MyColumn = 'value'"
    },
    "MyView2": {
        "query": "SELECT * FROM MyTable WHERE Id IN (1,2,3)"
    }

}

You can define multiple views in a single file and specify the filepath using this property. For example: UserDefinedViews=C:\Path\To\UserDefinedViews.json. When you use this property, only the specified views are seen by the connector.

Refer to User Defined Views for more information.