View source for DBase

{{Short description|Database management system}}
{{more citations needed|date=February 2021}}
{{Lowercase_title}}
{{Infobox programming language
| name =       <!-- otherwise defaults to {{PAGENAME}} -->
| logo =       DBaseLogo BlackWithRed glass 300.png
| logo caption = 
| screenshot = <!-- (filename) -->
| screenshot caption = 
| paradigm =   [[Imperative programming|Imperative]], [[Declarative programming|declarative]]
| family =  
| designer =   <!-- or: | designers = -->
| developer =  [[C. Wayne Ratliff|Cecil Wayne Ratliff]]<ref name="developer">{{Cite web|url=http://www.foxprohistory.org/interview_wayne_ratliff.htm|title=The FoxPro History - Interview with Wayne Ratliff|website=www.foxprohistory.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| first=Susan M | last=Lammers | title=Programmers at Work | publisher=[[Microsoft Press]] |year=1986 | page=110 |chapter = C. Wayne Ratliff|url=https://archive.org/details/programmersatwor00lamm_0/ |url-access=registration |isbn=0-914845-71-3}}</ref>

| released =   {{Start date and age|1979}}
| latest release version = dBASE 2019
| latest release date = {{Start date and age|2019||}}
| latest preview version = 
| latest preview date = <!-- {{Start date and age|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
| typing = 
| scope = 
| programming language = [[C (programming language)|C]]
| discontinued =
| platform = 
| operating system = [[Microsoft DOS]]<br>[[Microsoft Windows]]
| license = [[Proprietary software|Proprietary]]
| file ext = 
| file format = <!-- or: | file formats = -->
| website =      {{URL|www.dbase.com}}
| implementations = 
| dialects = 
| influenced by = [[RETRIEVE]], [[JPLDIS]]
| influenced = [[Clipper (programming language)|Clipper]], WordTech products, [[Harbour (software)|Harbour]]. [[FoxPro|FoxBASE+, FoxPro, Visual FoxPro]], [[VP-Info]]
}}
<!-- This template uses not applicable field such "Products" and "employees"
{{Infobox programming language
| logo                   = DBaseLogo BlackWithRed glass 300.png
| name                   = dBase
| Prior Owners           = dataBased Intellegence, KSoft, [[Borland]], [[Ashton-Tate]]
| paradigm               = [[Imperative programming|Imperative]], [[Declarative programming|Declarative]]
| released               = {{Start date and age|1979}}
| developer              = [[C. Wayne Ratliff]]<ref name="developer"/>
| influenced             = [[Clipper (programming language)|Clipper]], WordTech products, [[Harbour (software)|Harbour]]. [[FoxPro|FoxBASE+, FoxPro, Visual FoxPro]], [[VP-Info]]
| Products               = dBASE, dbDOS PRO, dBASE CLASSIC, dTransfer, dbfUtilities, dbfExport, dbfImport, dbfCompare, dbfExplorer, dbfInspector
| website                = {{URL|www.dbase.com}}
| employees              = under 20
}}
-->
'''dBase''' (also stylized '''dBASE''') was one of the first [[database management systems]] for [[microcomputer]]s and the most successful in its day.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-12-15-fi-5823-story.html|title=The Creator of dBase Software Maintains That It Is Original|last=Lazzareschi|first=Carla|date=December 15, 1990|access-date=April 26, 2017|work=Los Angeles Times |url-access=subscription}}</ref> The dBase system included the core [[database engine]], a query system, a [[Form (programming)|forms engine]], and a [[programming language]] that tied all of these components together.

Originally released as '''Vulcan''' for [[PTDOS]] in 1978, the [[CP/M]] port caught the attention of [[Ashton-Tate]] in 1980. They licensed it, re-released it as '''dBASE II''', and later ported it to [[IBM PC]] computers running [[DOS]]. On the PC platform in particular, dBase became one of the best-selling software titles for a number of years. A major upgrade was released as '''dBase III''' and ported to a wider variety of platforms, including [[UNIX]] and [[OpenVMS|VMS]]. By the mid-1980s, Ashton-Tate was one of the "big three" software publishers in the early business-software market,<ref name=":0">{{cite news  |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]  |date=May 10, 1987 |title=ASHTON-TATE : Confronting a Hard Life in the World of Software |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-05-10-fi-6728-story.html|url-access=subscription |first=Victor F. |last=Zonana |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151203112258/http://articles.latimes.com/1987-05-10/business/fi-6728_1_database-software |archive-date=3 December 2015 }}</ref> along with [[Lotus Development]] and [[WordPerfect]].<ref name=":0" />

Starting in the mid-1980s, several companies produced their own variations on the dBase product and especially the dBase programming language. These included [[FoxPro|FoxBASE+]] (later renamed FoxPro), [[Clipper (programming language)|Clipper]], and other so-called [[xBase]] products. Many of these were technically stronger than dBase, but could not push it aside in the market.<ref name=MKshare>{{cite news  
|newspaper=The New York Times |date=August 19, 1990 |title=The Executive Computer; Can the New dBASE Solve Ashton-Tate's problems? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/19/business/the-executive-computer-can-the-new-dbase-solve-ashton-tate-s-problems.html | first=Peter H |last=Lewis |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150525200633/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/19/business/the-executive-computer-can-the-new-dbase-solve-ashton-tate-s-problems.html | archive-date=25 May 2015 |quote=dBASE had 40 percent of the data base market in 1989, compared with 62.5 percent in 1985.}}</ref> This changed with the poor reception of '''dBase IV''', whose design and stability were so lacking that many users switched to other products.<ref name=Chapman1.2006>{{Citation 
|title=In Search of Stupidity: Over Twenty Years of High-Tech Marketing Disasters, Second Edition |last=Chapman |first=Merrill R. |year=2006 |publisher=Apress 
|isbn=1-59059-721-4 
|chapter=The Horror, the Horror |pages=81–83}}</ref>

In the early 1990s, xBase products constituted the leading database platform for implementing business applications. The size and impact of the xBase market did not go unnoticed, and within one year, the three top xBase firms were acquired by larger software companies:
* [[Borland]] purchased [[Ashton-Tate]]<ref>{{cite web 
|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/worst-tech-mergers-and-acquisitions-novell-unix-borland-ashton-tate/
|website=[[ZDNet]]
|title=Worst tech mergers and acquisitions: Novell and Unix, Borland Ashton-Tate
|quote=In 1995, Novell sold the operating system to SCO. ... In 1991, Ashton-Tate merged with Borland}}</ref><ref>{{cite news  |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]
|title=Borland to Acquire Ashton-Tate in a $439-Million Deal
|date=11 July 1991
|first=Carla |last=Lazzareschi
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151212202958/http://articles.latimes.com/1991-07-11/business/fi-3022_1_borland-international |archive-date=12 December 2015 |url-status=live
|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-07-11-fi-3022-story.html |url-access=subscription}}</ref>
* [[Microsoft]] bought [[Fox Software]]<ref>{{cite news  |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]  |date=March 25, 1992
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/25/business/microsoft-to-try-new-market-by-acquiring-fox-software.html
|title=Microsoft to Try New Market By Acquiring Fox Software|url-access=limited |first=Andrew |last=Pollack |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150423100746/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/25/business/microsoft-to-try-new-market-by-acquiring-fox-software.html |archive-date=23 April 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news  
|newspaper=Los Angeles Times  |date=March 25, 1992
|title=Microsoft to Buy Fox Software to Get Database Line
|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-25-fi-4361-story.html
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017065221/http://articles.latimes.com/1992-03-25/business/fi-4361_1_database-software |archive-date=17 October 2015 |url-status=live
|first=Jonathan |last=Weber
|quote=In its first major acquisition, software powerhouse Microsoft Corp. announced Tuesday that it will buy privately held Fox Software for about $173 million|url-access=subscription}}</ref>
* [[Computer Associates]] acquired [[Clipper (programming language)|Nantucket]]<ref>{{cite magazine  |magazine=[[InfoWorld]]  |date=May 11, 1992   |page=8 |volume=14 |issue=19 |first=Mark |last=Brownstein
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7D0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA8
|title=CA acquisition of Nantucket consolidates XBase arena}}</ref>

By the opening decade of the 21st century, most of the original xBase products had faded from prominence and many had disappeared entirely. Products known as dBase<ref>{{Cite web |title=dBASE® 2019 |url=https://store.dbase.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=68 |access-date=2022-07-13 |website=store.dbase.com}}</ref> still exist, owned by dBase LLC.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=https://store.dbase.com/aboutus.asp |access-date=2022-07-13 |website=store.dbase.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=dBASE® the Home of all things dBASE® |url=https://www.dbase.com/company/about/ |access-date=2022-07-13 |website=dBase.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

==History==

===Origins===
{{Main|Jet Propulsion Laboratory Display Information System}}
In the late 1960s, Fred Thompson at the [[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]] (JPL) was using a [[Tymshare]] product named [[Tymshare RETRIEVE|RETRIEVE]] to manage a database of electronic calculators, which were at that time very expensive products. In 1971, Thompson collaborated with Jack Hatfield, a programmer at JPL, to write an enhanced version of RETRIEVE, which became the JPLDIS project. JPLDIS was written in [[FORTRAN]] on the [[UNIVAC 1108]] mainframe, and was presented publicly in 1973. When Hatfield left JPL in 1974, [[Jeb Long]] took over his role.<ref>Susan Lammers, [http://www.foxprohistory.org/jeblong_jpldis.htm "How it Started - JPLDIS: How Came The Idea"], The History of FoxPro</ref>

While working at JPL as a contractor, [[C. Wayne Ratliff]] entered the [[betting pool|office football pool]]. He had no interest in the game as such, but felt he could win the pool by processing the post-game statistics found in newspapers.{{sfn|Lammers|1986|p=113}} In order to do this, he turned his attention to a database system and, by chance, came across the documentation for JPLDIS. He used this as the basis for a port to [[PTDOS]] on his kit-built [[IMSAI 8080]] microcomputer, and called the resulting system '''Vulcan''' (after the home planet of [[Spock|Mr. Spock]] on ''[[Star Trek]]'').<ref>Susan Lammers, [http://www.foxprohistory.org/interview_wayne_ratliff.htm "Interview with Wayne Ratliff"], The History of FoxPro</ref>{{r|pournelle198007}}{{sfn|Lammers|1986|p=114}}

===Ashton-Tate===
{{Main|Ashton-Tate}}

George Tate and Hal Lashlee had built two successful start-up companies: Discount Software, which was one of the first to sell PC software programs through the mail to consumers, and Software Distributors, which was one of the first wholesale distributors of PC software in the world. They entered into an agreement with Ratliff to market Vulcan, and formed [[Ashton-Tate]]{{sfn|Lammers|1986|pp=115-116}} (the name Ashton was chosen purely for marketing reasons) to do so. Ratliff ported Vulcan from PTDOS to [[CP/M]]. Hal Pawluk, who handled marketing for the nascent company, decided to change the name to the more business-like "dBASE". Pawluk devised the use of lower case "d" and all-caps "BASE" to create a distinctive name. Pawluk suggested calling the new product version two ("II") to suggest it was less buggy than an initial release. '''dBASE II''' was the result and became a standard CP/M application along with WordStar and SuperCalc.<ref>[http://www.foxprohistory.org/people_ashton.htm "Ashton-Tate People"], The History of FoxPro</ref>

In 1981, IBM commissioned a port of dBASE for the then-in-development PC. The resultant program was one of the initial pieces of software available when the IBM PC went on sale in the fall of 1981. dBASE was one of a few "professional" programs on the platform then, and became a huge success. The customer base included not only end-users, but an increasing number of "value added resellers", or VARs, who purchased dBASE, wrote applications with it, and sold the completed systems to their customers. The May 1983 release of '''dBASE II RunTime''' further entrenched dBASE in the VAR market by allowing the VARs to deploy their products using the lower-cost RunTime system.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

Although some critics stated that dBASE was difficult to learn, its success created many opportunities for third parties. By 1984, more than 1,000 companies offered dBASE-related application development, libraries of code to add functionality, applications using dBASE II Runtime, consulting, training, and how-to books. A company in San Diego (today known as Advisor Media) premiered a magazine devoted to the professional use of dBASE, '''Data Based Advisor'''; its circulation exceeded 35,000 after eight months.<ref name="chin19840409">{{cite magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jC4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA72 | title=Firms grab for dBase II gold | magazine=[[InfoWorld]] | volume=6 |issue=15 | date=1984-04-09 | access-date=2015-02-04 | last=Chin |first=Kathy | pages=72–73}}</ref> Ashton-Tate said that addons covered "every area from hog farming to yacht racing".<ref name="sullivan19871102">{{Cite magazine |last=Sullivan |first=Kristina |date=1987-11-02 |title=Giants nurture, rely on aftermarket firms |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mUSIMiurpfYC&pg=PP97 |access-date=2025-06-08 |magazine=Computerworld |page=SR31 |volume=XXI |issue=44}}</ref> All of these activities fueled the rapid rise of dBASE as the leading product of its type;<ref>{{Cite news |last=O'Reilly |first=Richard |date=26 September 1994 |title=dBASE 5.0 for Windows has a Big Engine, but Lacks Speed |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1994/09/26/dbase-50-for-windows-has-a-big-engine-but-lacks-speed/fa865dc2-fdd3-48d7-a9f0-38e2f820320a/ |access-date=8 July 2023 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Magid |first=Lawrence |date=25 February 1988 |title=Ashton-Tate has a Likely Winner |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-02-25-fi-44843-story.html |access-date=8 February 2023 |website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> by early 1984 Ashton-Tate stated that it had sold more than 150,000 copies of dBASE II.<ref name="hart19840207">{{cite magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=knOwBOkBuYQC&pg=PA114 | title=The ABC's of dBASE II | magazine=[[PC Magazine]] |volume=3 |issue=2 | date=1984-02-07 | access-date=October 24, 2013 | last=Hart |first=Glenn A. | pages=114}}</ref>

===dBase III===
[[File:Screenshot of Dbase III Plus.png|thumbnail|Screenshot of Dbase III Plus]]
As platforms and [[operating system]]s proliferated in the early 1980s, the company found it difficult to port the [[assembly language]]-based dBase to target systems. This led to a rewrite of the platform in the [[C programming language]], using automated code conversion tools. The resulting code worked, but was essentially undocumented{{why|date=February 2024}} and inhuman in syntax{{how|date=February 2024}}, a problem that would prove to be serious in the future.{{Citation needed|date=April 2013}}

In May 1984, the rewritten dBase III was released. Although reviewers widely panned its lowered performance, the product was otherwise well reviewed. After a few rapid upgrades, the system stabilized and was once again a best-seller throughout the 1980s, and formed the famous "application trio" of PC compatibles (dBase, [[Lotus 123]], and [[WordPerfect]]). By the fall of 1984, the company had over 500 employees and was taking in US$40 million a year in sales (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|40|1984}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|US}}), the vast majority from dBase products.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

====Cloning====
There was also an unauthorized clone of dBase III called Rebus in the [[Soviet Union]]. Its adaptation to the Russian language was reduced to the mechanical replacement of the name, the russification of the help files and the correction of the sorting tables for the Russian language.

===dBase IV===
Introduced in 1988,<ref>{{cite news
   |newspaper=CBRonline (Computer Business Review)
   |url=https://techmonitor.ai/technology/new_user_interface_for_ashtons_dbase_iv <!-- This was a broken link to cbr_online (invalid domain) and without the '_' redirected to this new URL. 13 September 2021 -->
   |title=New user interface for Ashton's dBase IV
   |date=February 17, 1988
   |via = TechMonitor
   }}</ref> after delays,<ref>{{cite news  |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]
   |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/15/business/the-executive-computer-at-long-last-dbase-iv-arrives.html
   |title=At Long Last, dBase IV Arrives
   |first=Peter H. |last=Lewis |date=January 15, 1989
   |url-access=limited}}</ref>
'''dBase IV''' had "more than 300 new or improved features". By then, [[FoxPro]] had made inroads,
and even dBase IV's  support for [[Query by Example]] and [[SQL]] were not enough.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} dBase IV added a built-in [[screen generator]];<ref>{{Cite book |last=Littlefield |first=Warren M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lFRJBG4EPOYC&pg=PA205 |title=dBASE-From the Dot Prompt: An Introduction to Structured Programming Using dBASE IV |date=1993-06-04 |publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=978-1-4384-1107-1 |pages=205–220 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Ross |first=Paul W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LTi_DN_LCSIC&pg=PA601 |title=The Handbook of Software for Engineers and Scientists |date=1995-10-25 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-0-8493-2530-4 |pages=601 |language=en}}</ref> in dBASE III and earlier, third party screen generators were available, including Luis Castro's ''ViewGen'' which was purchased by Fox Software and bundled with FoxPro 1.0 as ''FoxView''.<ref name="FoxProHistory">{{Cite web |title=The History of FoxPro - People That Contributed With Other xBase Tools |url=http://www.foxprohistory.org/people_other.htm |access-date=2025-01-04 |website=www.foxprohistory.org}}</ref>

Along the way, [[Borland]], which had bought [[Ashton-Tate]], brought out a revised dBase IV in 1992<ref>{{cite news   
  |newspaper=Los Angeles Times
   |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-04-23-fi-1367-story.html
   |title=The Future of Database Programs
   |first=Richard  |last=O'Reilly  |date=April 23, 1992|url-access=subscription}}</ref> but with a focus described as "designed for programmers" rather than "for ordinary users".{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

[[File:DBASE timeline.png|thumb|Full timeline for all the dBase Products.|alt=|center|500x500px]]

===Recent version history===
{{Promotional section|date=March 2022}}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:center; margin:0 0 0.5em 1em;"
|-
! Version
! Released
! Notes
|-
| dBASE PLUS 9
| June 18, 2014 
| Additional key features of dBASE PLUS 9 include: dComplete - an Intelli-Sense like feature for the dBASE language; dBlocks - add dBASE snippets of code in a couple of key strokes, dLocator - now find the information across multiple files; dBabel - now support for color-highlighting HTML, XML, SQL, JavaScript and others; dExtract - now export your source code into HTML, RTF, PDF, LaTeX, and XML; dbfExplorer - now reveal the file properties inside the Windows Explorer interface; Updated Editor - it includes Code Folding, Auto Indent, End of Line markers, Indentation Guides, Line Numbers, and other features, 60% more keyboard shortcuts; Lookup Data – royalty free data that includes stock, geography, and other common types of lookup data; and Catalyst SocketTools ActiveX controls and libraries help developers create Internet-enabled applications.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prlog.org/12338018-dbase-llc-unveils-new-version-of-legendary-dbase-database-management-system.html|title=New dBASE PLUS 9 includes new tools to make developing great programs, applications, and solutions easier than ever before!}}</ref>
|-
| dbfExport 2
| April 17, 2015 
| The next major release of dbfExport 2, from dBase LLC.<ref>{{cite web|title=Introducing dbfExport™ 2 the easiest way to export your dBASE data ever!| url=http://www.prlog.org/12446902-introducing-dbfexport-2-the-easiest-way-to-export-your-dbase-data-ever.html/}}</ref> Can convert dBASE data from .dbf files to CSV, HTML, Microsoft Excel 2003 and below, Microsoft Excel 2008 and above, or XML.
|-
| dbDOS PRO 4.0
| May 6, 2015 
| dBase, LLC Unveils New Version of dbDOS PRO 4!<ref>{{cite web|title=dBase, LLC Unveils New Version of dbDOS™ PRO 4!| url=http://www.prlog.org/12453418-dbase-llc-unveils-new-version-of-dbdos-pro-4.html/}}</ref> dbDOS PRO 4, the latest version of the best-selling solution for supporting MS-DOS based applications on Windows Vista and above operating systems. 
|-
| dbDOS PRO 4.0N
| May 18, 2015 
| dBase, LLC Introduces dbDOS PRO 4N – Supports Multi-User MS-DOS Applications, on Windows Vista and above operating systems.<ref>{{cite web|title=dBase, LLC Introduces dbDOS™ PRO 4N – Supports Multi-User MS-DOS Applications!| url=http://www.prlog.org/12456803-dbase-llc-introduces-dbdos-pro-4n-supports-multi-user-ms-dos-applications.html}}</ref> Added network communications. 
|-
| dBASE PLUS 10
| July 21, 2015 
| Additional key features of dBASE PLUS 10 include:  A new set of Native Components, the new data-aware GridEx (dGrid) and ListView components. An updated Compiler, which allows it to compile larger files, more symbols and is 30% faster. dBASE PLUS 10 introduces a new Debugger – called dBugger. The Embedded Runtime gives the ability to build a single .exe with the dBASE PLUS 10 Runtime embedded into the .exe. Also included, is the new Resource Handling, which now works with both .BMP and .PNG graphic types from resource .dll(s). In addition, dBASE PLUS 10 includes over 15,000 royalty-free images to use in applications. The product also introduced the updated dComplete 2.0, which adds significant code-completion functionality.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prlog.org/12456802-dbase-llc-unshackle-your-windows-application-development-process-with-the-new-dbase-plus-10.html|title=The New dBASE PLUS 10 includes new tools and functionality to make developing great data-driven Windows® and Web based applications a breeze!}}</ref>
|-
| dbDOS PRO 5+N
| July, 2016 
| dBase, LLC Introduces dbDOS PRO 5+N – dbDOS PRO 5+N, the latest version of the MS-DOS-based virtual machine (VM) to run DOS based applications on Windows 64-bit operating systems.<ref>{{cite web|title=dBase, LLC Introduces dbDOS PRO 5+N| url=https://www.prlog.org/12567044-dbase-llc-innovates-with-new-version-of-dbdos-pro-5n.html}}</ref> 
|-
| dBASE PLUS 11
| January, 2017
| Additional New features of dBASE PLUS 11 include: Touch and Tablet support – dBASE PLUS 11 now supports touch and gesturing with enhanced support for tablets.  Assist Technologies. dmAssist – the data module designer introduces a much easier interface for building and working with data modules. The new dmAssist works with both data-layers of the BDE and ADO technologies. dBASE PLUS 11 makes building data-aware web applications easier with a new responsive web framework that works on both Apache and Microsoft IIS technologies.  dmOutput – the new dBASE PLUS 11 allows generating output from data modules. dmC.R.U.D. – the new dBASE PLUS 11 allows generating a starter application.  dBASE PLUS 11 includes seven new open source fonts that are designed to make code easier to read and print. databuttons.cc – the standard data-aware components have been enhanced to support components with graphics 24x24 through 64x64. Windows Theming – dBASE PLUS 11 now supports 10 Microsoft Windows themes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.prlog.org/12610667-all-hail-the-new-dbase-plus-11.html|title=All Hail the new dBASE™ PLUS 11!}}</ref>
|-
|}

==dBASE product range==
===dBase, LLC products===
* dBASE PLUS: A Windows-based database.
* dBASE 2019: Successor of dBASE PLUS 12. Requires Windows Vista or later. Builds 32-bit Windows applications, supports 32-bit and 64-bit Windows.
* dBASE CLASSIC:<ref>[http://dbaseclassic.com/ dBASE CLASSIC]</ref> dBASE V for DOS without DOS emulator, originally found in dBASE PLUS 9. Also includes original documentation included in the installation in PDF format.
* [[dbDOS]]: A MS-DOS emulator.
:* dbDOS PRO: Successor of dbDOS 1.5.1, starts with version 2.
:* dbDOS Open Source: Open source version of dbDOS.
:* dbDOSv: Successor of dbDOS PRO 7.
:* dbDOSv 2.x: Successor of dbDOSv 1.x.
* dbfUtilities: .dbf file processing utilities.
:* dbfCompare: Compares differences between tables.
:* dbfExport: Converts .dbf table to other file formats.
:* dbfImport: Converts other file formats into .dbf format.
:* dbfInspect: Read, modify, insert, delete, pack, and print using any dBASE IV and later tables.

====SQL Utilities====
* dumpSQL: Extracts all of the records of an existing table into a new table in the supported file formats.
* moveSQL: Transfers all of the records of an existing table into a new table in the supported database formats.

==dBase / xBase programming language==
[[File:DBase III r1.0 - Edit.png|thumb|Screenshot of dBase III with screen mask]]
For handling data, dBase provided detailed procedural commands and functions to<ref>{{cite book
   |title=DBASE - From the Dot Prompt: An Introduction to Structured Programming using dBase IV
   |url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0791417808  |isbn=0791417808 |lccn = 93-18937
   |publisher=State University of New York Press |location=Albany
   |first=Warren M.  |last=Littlefield  |date=1993}}</ref>

* open and traverse records in data files (e.g., USE, SKIP, GO TOP, GO BOTTOM, and GO recno), 
* manipulate field values (REPLACE and STORE), and 
* manipulate text strings (e.g., STR() and SUBSTR()), numbers, and dates.

dBase is an application development language and integrated [[navigational database management system]]. Like [[BASIC]] it offers immediate results to interactive commands which likely contributed to dBASE's early sales success, as customers in computer stores could quickly enter data and ask questions about it.<ref name="hart19840207">{{cite magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=knOwBOkBuYQC&pg=PA114 | title=The ABC's of dBASE II | magazine=[[PC Magazine]] |volume=3 |issue=2 | date=1984-02-07 | access-date=October 24, 2013 | last=Hart |first=Glenn A. | pages=114}}</ref> Ashton-Tate labeled dBASE as "[[relational database|relational]]" but it does not meet the criteria defined by Dr. [[Edgar F. Codd]]'s [[relational model]]. "dBASE used a runtime interpreter architecture, which allowed the user to execute commands by typing them in a command line “dot prompt.”<ref>Taft, Bryan (September 19, 2013). [https://www.eweek.com/database/30-years-ago-the-rise-fall-and-survival-of-ashton-tate-s-dbase/#:~:text=dBASE%20used%20a%20runtime%20interpreter,immediately%20execute%20or%20evaluate%20it.  30 Years Ago: The Rise, Fall and Survival of Ashton-Tate’s dBASE.] eWEEK.</ref> Similarly, program scripts (text files with PRG extensions) ran in the interpreter (with the DO command).{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

Over time, Ashton-Tate's competitors introduced so-called clone products and compilers that had more robust programming features such as user-defined functions (UDFs), arrays for complex data handling. Ashton-Tate and its competitors also began to incorporate [[SQL]], the ANSI/ISO standard language for creating, modifying, and retrieving data stored in relational database management systems.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

Eventually, it became clear that the dBase world had expanded far beyond Ashton-Tate. A "third-party" community formed, consisting of Fox Software, Nantucket, Alpha Software, Data Based Advisor Magazine, SBT and other application development firms, and major developer groups. Paperback Software launched the flexible and fast [[VP-Info]] with a unique built-in compiler. The community of dBase variants sought to create a dBase language standard, supported by IEEE committee X3J19 and initiative IEEE 1192. They said "xBase" to distinguish it from the Ashton-Tate product.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

Ashton-Tate saw the rise of xBase as an illegal threat to its proprietary technology. In 1988 they filed suit against [[Fox Software]] and [[Santa Cruz Operation]] (SCO) for copying dBase's "structure and sequence" in FoxBase+ (SCO marketed XENIX and UNIX versions of the Fox products). In December 1990, U.S. District judge Terry Hatter Jr. dismissed Ashton-Tate's lawsuit and invalidated Ashton-Tate's copyrights for not disclosing that dBase had been based, in part, on the public domain [[Jet Propulsion Laboratory Display Information System|JPLDIS]].<ref name="daly19901217">{{Cite magazine |last=Daly |first=James |date=17 December 1990 |title=Judge kills Dbase copyright |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-B6b-p_VIoIC&pg=PA1 |magazine=Computerworld |pages=1, 96 |volume=XXIV |issue=51}}</ref> In October 1991, while the case was still under appeal, Borland International acquired Ashton-Tate, and as one of the merger's provisions the U.S. Justice Department required Borland to end the lawsuit against Fox and allow other companies to use the dBase/xBase language without the threat of legal action.<ref name="weber19911015">{{Cite news |last=Weber |first=Jonathan |date=1991-10-15 |title=Borland Ordered to Share Key Software |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-10-15-fi-649-story.html |access-date=2025-04-29 |work=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

By the end of 1992, major software companies raised the stakes by acquiring the leading xBase products. Borland acquired Ashton-Tate's dBase products (and later WordTech's xBase products), Microsoft acquired Fox Software's FoxBASE+ and FoxPro products, and Computer Associates acquired Nantucket's Clipper products. Advisor Media built on its Data Based Advisor magazine by launching FoxPro Advisor and Clipper Advisor (and other) developer magazines and journals, and live conferences for developers. However, a planned dBase Advisor Magazine was aborted due to the market failure of dBase IV.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

By the year 2000, the xBase market had faded as developers shifted to new database systems and programming languages. Computer Associates (later known as CA) eventually dropped Clipper. Borland restructured and sold dBase. Of the major acquirers, Microsoft stuck with xBase the longest, evolving FoxPro into Visual FoxPro, but the product is no longer offered. In 2006 Advisor Media stopped its last-surviving xBase magazine, FoxPro Advisor. The era of xBase dominance has ended, but there are still xBase products. The dBase product line is now{{when|date=February 2024}} owned by [[dBase LLC]] which currently{{date?}} sells dBASE PLUS 12.3 and a DOS-based dBASE CLASSIC (dbDOS to run it on 64-bit Windows).<ref>{{Cite web |title=dBASE |url=https://slashdot.org/software/p/dBASE/ |access-date=2022-08-09 |website=Slashdot |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Features indepth dbase |url=https://www.dbase.com/dbase-plus-8/features/}}</ref>

Some open source implementations are available, such as [[Harbour (programming language)|Harbour]], xHarbour, and Clip.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

In 2015, a new member of the xBase family was born: the XSharp (X#) language, maintained as an open source project with a compiler, its own IDE, and Microsoft Visual Studio integration. XSharp produces .NET assemblies and uses the familiar xBase language. The XSharp product was originally created by a group of four enthusiasts who have worked for the Vulcan.NET project in the past. The compiler is created on top of the [[Roslyn (compiler)|Roslyn compiler]] code, the code behind the C# and VB compilers from Microsoft.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

===Programming examples===
Today, implementations of the dBase language have expanded to include many features targeted for business applications, including object-oriented programming, manipulation of remote and distributed data via SQL, Internet functionality, and interaction with modern devices.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

The following example opens an employee table ("empl"), gives every manager who supervises 1 or more employees a 10-percent raise, and then prints the names and salaries.

<syntaxhighlight lang="xbase">
 USE empl
 REPLACE ALL salary WITH salary * 1.1 FOR supervisors > 0
 LIST ALL fname, lname, salary TO PRINT
 * (comment: reserved words shown in CAPITALS for illustration purposes)
</syntaxhighlight>

Note how one does not have to keep mentioning the table name. The assumed ("current") table stays the same until told otherwise. Because of its origins as an interpreted interactive language, dBase used a variety of contextual techniques to reduce the amount of typing needed. This facilitated incremental, interactive development but also made larger-scale modular programming difficult. A tenet of modular programming is that the correct execution of a program module must not be affected by external factors such as the state of memory variables or tables being manipulated in other program modules. Because dBase was not designed with this in mind, developers had to be careful about porting (borrowing) programming code that assumed a certain context and it would make writing larger-scale modular code difficult. Work-area-specific references were still possible using the arrow notation ("B->customer") so that multiple tables could be manipulated at the same time. In addition, if the developer had the foresight to name their tables appropriately, they could clearly refer to a large number of tables open at the same time by notation such as ("employee->salary") and ("vacation->start_date"). Alternatively, the alias command could be appended to the initial opening of a table statement which made referencing a table field unambiguous and simple. For example. one can open a table and assign an alias to it in this fashion, "use EMP alias Employee", and henceforth, refer to table variables as "Employee->Name".

Another notable feature is the re-use of the same clauses for different commands. For example, the FOR clause limits the scope of a given command. (It is somewhat comparable to SQL's WHERE clause.) Different commands such as LIST, DELETE, REPLACE, BROWSE, etc. could all accept a FOR clause to limit (filter) the scope of their activity. This simplifies the learning of the language.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

dBase was also one of the first business-oriented languages to implement [[Eval|string evaluation]].{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

<syntaxhighlight lang="xbase">
 i = 2
 myMacro = "i + 10"
 i = &myMacro
 * comment: i now has the value 12
</syntaxhighlight>

Here the "&" tells the interpreter to evaluate the string stored in "myMacro" as if it were programming code. This is an example of a feature that made dBase programming flexible and dynamic, sometimes called "meta ability" in the profession. This could allow programming expressions to be placed inside tables, somewhat reminiscent of formulas in spreadsheet software.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

However, it could also be problematic for pre-compiling and for making programming code secure from hacking. But, dBase tended to be used for custom internal applications for small and medium companies where the lack of protection against copying, as compared to compiled software, was often less of an issue.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}
[[File:Screenshot of ASSIST in DBase III Plus.png|thumb|ASSIST application in dBase III+.]]

==File formats==
A major legacy of dBase is its [[.dbf]] file format, which has a [[Header (computing)|header]] section that self-documents the data structure, encouraging its use in other software. As a [[de facto standard]]<ref name="miner19840207">{{Cite magazine |last=Miner |first=Leslie |date=1984-02-07 |title=Three Days With dBASE II |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=knOwBOkBuYQC&pg=PA185 |access-date=2025-04-11 |magazine=PC |pages=185–187}}</ref> it has been adopted in a number of other applications. For example, the [[shapefile]] format, developed by [[Environmental Systems Research Institute|ESRI]] for spatial data in its PC [[ArcInfo]] [[geographic information system]], uses .dbf files to store feature attribute data.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-05-29|title=ESRI Shapefile|url=https://www.loc.gov/preservation/digital/formats/fdd/fdd000280.shtml|access-date=2021-03-30|website=www.loc.gov}}</ref>

Microsoft recommends saving a [[Microsoft Works]] database file in the dBase file format so that it can be read by [[Microsoft Excel]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/troubleshoot-converting-file-formats-HP005203437.aspx|title=Troubleshoot converting file formats - Excel - Office.com|access-date=2018-09-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110405104835/http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/troubleshoot-converting-file-formats-HP005203437.aspx|archive-date=5 April 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

A package is available for [[Emacs]] to read xbase files.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sourceforge.net/projects/xbasemode/|title=xbase mode|website=SourceForge|date=21 February 2013 |access-date=2018-09-11}}</ref>

[[LibreOffice]] and [[OpenOffice.org|OpenOffice]] Calc can read and write all generic dbf files.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://help.libreoffice.org/Calc/Importing_and_Exporting_dBASE_Files|title=Importing and Exporting dBASE Files - LibreOffice Help|website=help.libreoffice.org|access-date=2018-09-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://wiki.openoffice.org/wiki/Connecting_dBase_(xBase)|title=Connecting dBase (xBase) - Apache OpenOffice Wiki|website=wiki.openoffice.org|access-date=2018-09-11}}</ref>

dBase's database system was one of the first to provide a header section.{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}} This meant that the program does not need advance knowledge of the data structure, but can ask the data file how it was structured. There are several variations on the .dbf file structure, and not all dBase-related products and .dbf file structures are compatible.  [[VP-Info]] is unique in that it can read all variants of the dbf file structure.<ref>{{cite tech report |last=Bursten |first=Sidney L |author-link= |date=1990-12-16 |title=Importing Data from Foreign File Formats and Other Tasks |url= |location= |publisher=The Programmer's Workshop |page= |isbn=}}</ref>

A second [[filetype]] is the {{Mono|.dbt}} file format for memo fields. While character fields are limited to 254 characters each, a memo field is a 10-byte pointer into a {{Mono|.dbt}} file which can include a much larger text field. dBase was very limited in its ability to process memo fields, but some other xBase languages such as Clipper treated memo fields as strings just like character fields for all purposes except permanent storage.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

dBase uses {{Mono|.ndx}} files for single indexes, and {{Mono|.mdx}} ''(multiple-index)'' files for holding between 1 and 48 indexes. Some xBase languages such as [[VP-Info]] include compatibility with {{Mono|.ndx}} files while others use different file formats such as {{Mono|.ntx}} used by [[Clipper programming language|Clipper]] and {{Mono|.idx/.cdx}} used by [[Visual FoxPro|FoxPro]] or FlagShip.  Later iterations of Clipper included drivers for {{Mono|.ndx, .mdx, .idx and .cdx}} indexes.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

==Reception==
''[[BYTE (magazine)|BYTE]]''{{'}}s [[Jerry Pournelle]] in July 1980 called Vulcan "infuriatingly excellent" because the software was powerful but the documentation was poor. He praised its speed and sophisticated queries, but said that "we do a lot of pounding at the table and screaming in rage at the documentation".<ref name="pournelle198007">{{cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-07/1980_07_BYTE_05-07_Computers_and_Education#page/n199/mode/2up | title=Omikron TRS-80 Boards, NEWDOS+, and Sundry Other Matters | magazine=[[Byte (magazine)|BYTE]] |volume=5 |issue=7 | date=July 1980 | access-date=2013-10-18 | last=Pournelle |first=Jerry |author-link=Jerry Pournelle | page=198}}</ref>

"Is [dBASE IV 1.0] worth the wait? I think so", Malcolm Rubel wrote in the magazine in 1989, describing it as "a quantum leap over dBASE III Plus in functionality, power, and ease of use". He said that the software was 100% upward compatible as Ashton-Tate had promised, and praised Control Center as greatly improving on III Plus's Assist mode. The magazine noted early reports of bugs and promised a followup, but concluded that "the product seems solid overall".<ref name="rubel198902">{{Cite magazine |last=Rubel |first=Malcolm |date=February 1989 |title=dBASE IV Arrives |url=https://archive.org/details/eu_BYTE-1989-02_OCR/page/n266/mode/1up?view=theater |access-date=2024-10-08 |magazine=BYTE |pages=217–222}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|1}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|www.dbase.com}}
* [http://www.clicketyclick.dk/databases/xbase/format/index.html xBase (and dBase) File Format Description]

{{xBase}}
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