Tools for Working with the BDE

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Note: The Borland Database Engine (BDE) has been deprecated, so it will not be enhanced. For instance, BDE will never have Unicode support. You should not undertake new development with BDE. Consider migrating your existing database applications from BDE to dbExpress.

One advantage of using the BDE as a data access mechanism is the wealth of supporting utilities that ship with Delphi. These utilities include:

  • SQL Explorer and Database Explorer: Delphi ships with one of these two applications, depending on which version you have purchased. Both Explorers enable you to:
  • Examine existing database tables and structures. The SQL Explorer lets you examine and query remote SQL databases.
  • Populate tables with data.
  • Create extended field attribute sets in the Data Dictionary or associate them with fields in your application.
  • Create and manage BDE aliases.

SQL Explorer lets you do the following as well:

  • Create SQL objects such as stored procedures on remote database servers.
  • View the reconstructed text of SQL objects on remote database servers.
  • Run SQL scripts.
  • SQL Monitor: SQL Monitor lets you watch all of the communication that passes between the remote database server and the BDE. You can filter the messages you want to watch, limiting them to only the categories of interest. SQL Monitor is most useful when debugging your application.
  • Database Desktop: If you are using Paradox or dBASE tables, Database Desktop lets you view and edit their data, create new tables, and restructure existing tables. Using Database Desktop affords you more control than using the methods of a TTable component (for example, it allows you to specify validity checks and language drivers). It provides the only mechanism for restructuring Paradox and dBASE tables other than making direct calls the BDE's API.

See Also