Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!ames!elroy!mahendo!jplgodo!wlbr!scgvaxd!ashtate!dbase!drc
From: drc@dbase.UUCP (Dennis Cohen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Dbase III files and 4D
Summary: Not missing (exactly)
Keywords: dBASE Mac
Message-ID: <280@dbase.UUCP>
Date: 18 Dec 87 14:46:34 GMT
References: <3135@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> <4714@well.UUCP> <390@ashtate.UUCP>
Organization: Ashton Tate Development Center Glendale Cal.
Lines: 23

In article <390@ashtate.UUCP>, cy@ashtate.UUCP (Cy Shuster) writes:
> dBASE Mac has the ability to read and write dBASE II and III files in place,
> i.e. once you have hardware access to the files, the necessary dBASE Mac
> structure definition is built automatically from the dBASE III internal
> definition, and the dBASE III file can then be read and updated right where
> it sits. 
> 
> The advantage of direct access over importing is, of course, that importing
> implies copying, and therefore making the data out of sync with the original.

While it is true that importing implies copying, I don't believe that the
phrase "out of sync" is appropriate unless the file is also being used concur-
rently by dBASE III+ (for instance, over TOPS).  The advantages of importing
are:  availability of two-way relations and indexes, improved performance, and
the ability to add multivalued, graphic, and choices fields to the file.  In
short, while dBASE Mac can manipulate dBASE II and dBASE III files directly, it
is not the preferred method (just as direct manipulation of text files is not
the preferred method), but rather a possible alternative for certain fairly
well-defined situations.

Dennis Cohen
Ashton-Tate Glendale Development Center
dBASE Mac Development Team