How to Prepare Your Files
- Gather all your .dbf table files
- Include associated memo files (.fpt for Visual FoxPro, .dbt for FoxPro 2.x)
- Include index files (.cdx, .idx) if available (optional)
- Create a ZIP archive containing all files
- Upload the ZIP archive below
Guide
FoxPro and Visual FoxPro are powerful database management systems and programming languages developed by Microsoft. Visual FoxPro was widely used for rapid application development from the early 1990s through 2007.
What You Can Upload
.DBFtable files.FPTmemo files.DBCdatabase container files (for relationships).DCTdatabase container memo files.DCXdatabase container index- 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
- Locate your FoxPro application's data directory
- Copy all
.DBFtable files - Include associated
.FPTmemo files - Include
.DBCdatabase container with its.DCTand.DCXfiles (for relationships and long field names) - Create a ZIP with all files
- Upload the ZIP to DataMeans
Supported Features
- Visual FoxPro 3.0 through 9.0
- FoxPro 2.x for DOS/Windows
- All VFP extended field types: Integer, Currency, DateTime, Varchar, Double, AutoIncrement
- Memo field support (text, binary, OLE content)
- Database container relationship mapping
- Long field name extraction from DBC
- NULL value detection
- Character encoding detection (CP1252, CP437)
Known Limitations
- Index files (
.CDX,.IDX) not preserved (data fully extracted) - OLE objects in General fields exported as Base64
- Complex DBC stored procedures may not be fully parsed
Last updated: January 2026
Technical reference
Overview
FoxPro is a data-centric, object-oriented programming language and database management system, originally developed by Fox Software and later acquired by Microsoft. It uses extended DBF file formats with additional structures for complex database applications. Visual FoxPro (VFP) represented the pinnacle of xBase evolution, offering both procedural and object-oriented programming with rich database capabilities before Microsoft announced its discontinuation in 2007.
History and Background
- 1984: FoxBASE released by Fox Software, a dBase II work-alike.
- 1986: FoxBASE+ released, compatible with dBase III Plus.
- 1989: FoxPro 1.0 released with a new interface and a superset of the dBase IV language.
- 1991: FoxPro 2.0 introduces Rushmore query optimization and integrated SQL support.
- 1992: Microsoft acquires Fox Software in a stock swap valued at approximately $173 million.
- 1993: FoxPro 2.5 released; the first version for Windows.
- 1995: Visual FoxPro 3.0 introduces object-oriented programming, a visual development environment, and the database container.
- 1996: Visual FoxPro 5.0 adds ActiveX support and COM component creation.
- 1998: Visual FoxPro 6.0 ships alongside Visual Studio 6.0, adding ActiveX Document support and Year 2000 compliance features.
- 2001: Visual FoxPro 7.0 adds IntelliSense, XML functions, and web services support.
- 2003: Visual FoxPro 8.0 adds the CursorAdapter class and autoincrementing fields.
- 2004: Visual FoxPro 9.0 adds Varchar, Varbinary, and Blob field types and the ReportListener report engine class.
- 2007: Microsoft announces there will be no version 10; Visual FoxPro 9.0 SP2 is the final release.
File Format Specifications
FoxPro uses the dBase-derived DBF table format, extended with additional field types and companion files.
DBF (DataBase File) Format:
- xBase-family table format with FoxPro-specific field types
- Header file type byte identifies the format level (0x30 Visual FoxPro; 0xF5 FoxPro 2.x with memo)
- File extension:
.dbf - Maximum fields: 255
- Maximum record size: 65,500 bytes
- File size limit: 2 GB
Memo Files:
.fpt: FoxPro memo file format (replaces dBase.dbt)- Stores variable-length text and binary data
- Block-structured; a 512-byte header records the block size and next free block
- Referenced by 4-byte block numbers in Visual FoxPro DBF records
Index Files:
.cdx: Compound index file (multiple index tags per file), supported since FoxPro 2.0.idx: Single index file- B-tree structure for fast lookups
- Support for Rushmore query optimization
Database Container:
.dbc: Database container file- Stores table membership, persistent relationships, connections, and views
- Contains stored procedures and database properties
- Stored as a Visual FoxPro table with companion
.dctmemo and.dcxindex files
Data Types and Structures
| Type Code | Type | Size | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Character | 1-254 bytes | Fixed-length text strings |
| V | Varchar | Variable | Variable-length text (VFP 9+) |
| N | Numeric | 1-20 bytes | Numbers with decimal precision, stored as text |
| F | Float | 1-20 bytes | Same as Numeric; kept for compatibility |
| I | Integer | 4 bytes | 32-bit signed integers |
| B | Double | 8 bytes | Double-precision floating point |
| Y | Currency | 8 bytes | Currency values |
| D | Date | 8 bytes | Dates in YYYYMMDD format |
| T | DateTime | 8 bytes | Date and time combined |
| L | Logical | 1 byte | Boolean (T/F/Y/N) |
| M | Memo | 4 bytes | Pointer to memo file |
| G | General | 4 bytes | OLE objects |
| W | Blob | 4 bytes | Binary large objects (VFP 9+) |
| Q | VarBinary | Variable | Variable binary data (VFP 9+) |
Database Structure:
- Free tables: Standalone DBF files
- Database tables: Part of DBC container with relationships
- Long table and field names (up to 128 characters) for tables in a database
- Referential integrity and triggers
- Views and stored procedures
- Multi-table transactions
Version Differences
| Version | Year | Key Changes | File Format Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| FoxPro 2.0 | 1991 | Rushmore, SQL support | FoxPro 2.x DBF (0xF5 with memo); adds .cdx indexes |
| FoxPro 2.5 | 1993 | First Windows version | FoxPro 2.x DBF; no format change |
| Visual FoxPro 3.0 | 1995 | OOP, visual development | New DBF file type 0x30; adds .dbc/.dct/.dcx |
| Visual FoxPro 5.0 | 1996 | ActiveX, COM components | No format change |
| Visual FoxPro 6.0 | 1998 | ActiveX Documents, MTS support | No format change |
| Visual FoxPro 7.0 | 2001 | IntelliSense, XML, web services | No format change |
| Visual FoxPro 8.0 | 2003 | CursorAdapter, autoincrement | Autoincrement file type 0x31 |
| Visual FoxPro 9.0 | 2004 | Varchar/Varbinary/Blob, ReportListener | Varchar/Varbinary/Blob file type 0x32 |
Compatibility Notes:
- Visual FoxPro reads FoxPro 2.x tables and leaves their headers unchanged unless new field types, null support, or database membership are added
- DBC containers introduced in VFP 3.0
- Tables belonging to a database store a backlink path to the
.dbcfile in the table header - Many modern tools read VFP DBF files
Technical References
- Wikipedia: FoxPro
- Wikipedia: Visual FoxPro
- Microsoft: Table File Structure
- Microsoft: Visual FoxPro System Capacities
- The History of FoxPro: Timeline
To learn how to use this format with DataMeans, see the User Guide.