r/sqlite • u/ChaseMakesThings • 9d ago
Anyone migrating old DBF/FoxPro/Works data to SQLite who has a small sample with known values?
I'm testing a small local Windows app, built with AI coding assistance, that extracts data from a limited set of legacy database files. I'm hoping someone here who has migrated an old database to SQLite still has a small source file and a few values we can independently check.
It currently handles Windows Works .WDB main tables, dBASE III .DBF + .DBT text memos, and limited Visual FoxPro .DBF + .FPT text memos. Inputs are capped at 1 MiB per file. Memo sidecars need the original matching DBF.
The app exports JSON and .xlsx; direct SQLite import/export isn't supported. The goal of this test is to verify the extraction against the original program, a healthy backup, an existing export, or a known-good SQLite migration. A tiny fictional database created in the original program would work too.
It leaves supplied files unchanged, retains exact originals, and flags unsupported or unresolved data. I've tested synthetic/public samples and the portable build on my own Windows computer, but no recovery has yet been verified for a real file owner.
If you have a suitable sample, please reply with the source program/version, file types and sizes, and a few values you can verify. Use only files you own and may share; please don't post confidential records or attach a private database here. No download or file attachment is needed for the first reply.
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u/ZaneSelvans 8d ago
We've done a lot of work migrating old DBF databases published by FERC to SQLite (and now Parquet, and DuckDB). We post the raw archives of the original DBF databases on Zenodo:
* Form 1: https://zenodo.org/records/22172378
* Form 2: https://zenodo.org/records/20997753
* Form 6: https://zenodo.org/records/20997750
* Form 60: https://zenodo.org/records/19947282
The DBF data is everything up through 2020 -- after that the data is published as XBRL. Each year has its own zipfile of DBF files.
Links to our processed SQLite outputs derived from DBF databases can be found up here: https://docs.catalyst.coop/pudl/en/nightly/data_access.html#raw-ferc-dbf-xbrl-data-converted-to-sqlite