Alpha Five / Alpha Anywhere

Alpha Five (now Alpha Anywhere) is a rapid application development platform that includes an integrated database and web/mobile application development environment.

What You Can Upload

• .DBF table files (xBase format)
• .FPT memo files
• .CDX compound index files
• Dictionary files with metadata
• ZIP archive with complete file sets

What You Get Out

DataMeans extracts your data into multiple modern formats:

Output	Description
csv/{TableName}.csv	One CSV file per table with all row data
xlsx/{TableName}.xlsx	Excel workbook per table
xls/{TableName}.xls	Legacy Excel format per table
json/{TableName}.json	JSON array of records per table
json/{TableName}.jsonl	Newline-delimited JSON (streaming-friendly)
postgres.sql	PostgreSQL CREATE TABLE + INSERT statements
schema/schema-graph.json	Relationship graph for visualization
schema/er-model.json	ER model for diagram tools
report.json	Structured extraction report
report.md	Human-readable extraction summary

How to Export / Obtain Files

1. Locate your Alpha Five application's data directory
2. Copy all .DBF table files
3. Include associated .FPT memo files
4. Include .CDX index files
5. Create a ZIP with all files
6. Upload the ZIP to DataMeans

Supported Features

• xBase-compatible DBF file extraction
• Memo field support (FPT format)
• Field rules and validation documentation
• Set definitions (parent-child relationships)
• Index and constraint preservation

Known Limitations

• Calculated fields documented but require manual recreation
• Complex Alpha-specific validations documented separately
• Some application logic requires manual migration

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Last updated: January 2026

Overview

Alpha Five (now Alpha Anywhere) is a rapid application development (RAD) platform that includes an embedded relational database engine. Its native storage is file-based, combining DBF tables with proprietary data-dictionary files, and the platform features a visual development environment with web and mobile deployment capabilities. The platform emphasizes ease of use for non-programmers while supporting complex business logic and data relationships.

History and Background

• 1982: Alpha Software founded by brothers Richard Rabins and Selwyn Rabins; the company is based in Burlington, Massachusetts.
• 1989: Alpha Four v1.0 released, a DOS relational database for non-programmers built on dBase-compatible files.
• 1994: Alpha Five v1.0 released for Windows, introducing the Xbasic programming language.
• 2002: Alpha Five v5 launched, adding the XDialog interface-building language.
• 2004: Alpha Five v6 ships, with the companion Web Application Server for browser-based database applications.
• 2007: Alpha Five v8 released, adding AlphaDAO objects for SQL database access and a web application security framework.
• 2008: Alpha Five v9 released; its signature feature, active-link tables, exposes remote SQL data as native Alpha tables.
• 2009: Alpha Five v10 introduces Codeless AJAX web components.
• 2011: Alpha Five v11 adds HTML5-based mobile and web application development.
• 2013: Alpha Anywhere launched as the successor to Alpha Five v11 (also designated Alpha Five Version 12).
• 2014: Alpha Anywhere 3.0 adds built-in offline operation for mobile business applications.
• 2016: Alpha Anywhere 4.0 released with mobile-optimized forms and support for OData, MongoDB, and SQLite data sources.
• 2018: Alpha TransForm, a companion mobile-forms product, is launched.
• 2019: Alpha Anywhere 4.6 adds integrated Git source control, two-factor authentication, and TLS 1.3 support.

File Format Specifications

Core Files:

• .adb: Main workspace file listing the filenames of all tables and sets that are members of the workspace, along with the names of attached libraries. The .adb file does not hold table data itself.
• .alb: The data dictionary (library) for an .adb file, containing settings and pointers to scripts, user-defined functions, menus, toolbars, and import definitions; accompanied by .alm (memo) and .alx (index) files.
• .ddd: Table data dictionary storing layouts, field rules, and long field names (with .ddm and .ddx companions)
• .dbp: Contains the definition for an active-link or mapped table
• .set: Set definition files describing relationships between tables
• .sem: Memo companion to a .set file, storing set objects such as layouts and report designs
• .sex: Index companion to a .set file, used to locate set components

Application Files:

• .a5w: Server-side web pages mixing HTML with Xbasic
• .a5wcmp: Web component definitions
• .aex: Compiled Xbasic library files
• .wcp_settings: Web Project settings specific to a publishing profile
• .webpublishhistory: Publishing history used to determine which files need to be republished
• .log: Error and transaction logging files

Database Structure:

• File-based architecture with an embedded database engine
• Tables stored in individual .dbf files
• Indexes stored in .cdx files; memo data stored in .fpt files (each present only when index or memo fields are defined)
• Limits per table: 1,023 fields per record, 19,600 bytes per record, and 2,000,000,000 records
• Up to 40 indexes per table with index keys up to 240 characters; a set can join up to 40 tables
• Temporary query-index files (.mpx for tables, .asx for sets) may be safely deleted
• Multi-user support coordinated through lock files; a temporary .adblock file prevents simultaneous shadow-database refreshes
• System menus and customized toolbars are themselves stored in DBF tables (a_menus_system.dbf, a_toolbars_customized.dbf)
• Backup and restore through file operations such as zipping workspace files

Data Types and Structures

Alpha Type	Size	Description	Use Cases
Character (C)	Up to 255 chars	Alphanumeric text	Names, descriptions
Numeric (N)	Up to 19 chars	Fixed-precision decimals, up to 14 decimal places	Calculations, amounts
Date (D)	8 chars	Date values from 01-01-0000 through 12-31-9999	Dates, scheduling
Logical (L)	1 char	TRUE/FALSE values	Flags, status
Memo (M)	Variable	Long text held in the .fpt file via a 10-char pointer	Notes, documents
Bitmap (B)	Variable	Bitmap (.bmp) images stored in the table	Embedded images
Time	17 chars	Combined date-and-time values	Timestamps
Short Time	9 chars	Time-of-day values	Simple time fields
Rich Text Memo (R)	Variable	Memo text with font, color, and alignment formatting	Styled content
JPEG Image (J)	Variable	JPEG (.jpg) images stored in the table	Photos
OLE (O)	Variable	Linked or embedded OLE objects	Embedded objects

Database Objects:

• Tables: Primary data containers
• Sets: Related table combinations
• Forms: Data entry interfaces
• Browses: Data viewing grids
• Reports: Formatted output
• Scripts: Business logic in Xbasic
• Functions: User-defined functions written in Xbasic

Version Differences

Version	Year	Key Features	File Format
Alpha Five v1	1994	Visual development, Xbasic	DBF tables with dictionary files
Alpha Five v5	2002	XDialog dialog language	No change to table format
Alpha Five v6	2004	Companion Web Application Server	.a5w server pages (Application Server)
Alpha Five v8	2007	AlphaDAO SQL connectivity, web security framework	Passive-link tables store imported SQL data in native .dbf files
Alpha Five v9	2008	Active-link and mapped tables for SQL back ends	Active-link/mapped table definitions stored in .dbp files
Alpha Five v10	2009	Codeless AJAX components	No change to table format
Alpha Five v11	2011	HTML5 mobile and web development	No change to table format
Alpha Anywhere	2013	Unified web and mobile RAD environment	DBF native format retained
Alpha Anywhere 3.0	2014	Built-in offline mobile operation	SQL data converted to hierarchical JSON for offline use
Alpha Anywhere 4.0	2016	Mobile-optimized forms, OData support	No change to table format
Alpha Anywhere 4.6	2019	Git integration, two-factor authentication, TLS 1.3	No change to table format

Compatibility Notes:

• Native tables use the widely supported DBF file format
• Field names longer than 10 characters are stored in the data dictionary rather than the .dbf file
• The development environment runs on Windows; applications deploy to web browsers and mobile devices
• Web applications (.a5w pages) are interpreted and served by the Application Server
• Mobile applications support offline operation with conflict resolution since Alpha Anywhere 3.0
• Field names may be up to 32 characters, though 10 or fewer is recommended for .dbf-level compatibility
• Legacy .muf and .rmuf files, which once limited concurrent users, are no longer created by current releases

Technical References

• Alpha Anywhere Documentation
• Alpha Anywhere File Types
• ADB File Format
• Workspace Specifications
• Alpha Software Press Releases

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To learn how to use this format with DataMeans, see the User Guide.