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Q142883: HOWTO: Troubleshooting Btrieve Connections in Visual FoxPro

Article: Q142883
Product(s): Microsoft FoxPro
Version(s): 3.0b
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbvfp kbvfp300b kbvfp600
Last Modified: 11-AUG-1999

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, versions 3.0b, 6.0 
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SUMMARY
=======

This article lists troubleshooting techniques you can use if you receive
connectivity errors attempting to connect to a Btrieve data source.

NOTE: Some products mentioned in this article are manufactured by vendors
independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding
these products' performance or reliability.

MORE INFORMATION
================

Use the steps given in this article to resolve the following error message and
other similar messages:

  "Connectivity error: [Microsoft][ODBC Btrieve Driver] Errors encountered
  while using the Btrieve DLL"

Steps to Troubleshoot Error Message
-----------------------------------

1. Check the current Btrieve driver version being used in the ODBC Icon. In the
  Main group in Program Manager, double-click the Control Panel icon:

  a. In the Control Panel window, double-click the ODBC icon. The Data Sources
     dialog box appears.

  b. In the Data Sources dialog box, choose the Drivers button. The Drivers
     dialog box appears.

  c. In the Drivers dialog box, highlight the Btrieve driver and choose the
     About button. The following driver information is displayed:

     driver, file name, description, company, version, language, creation date,
     and size.

2. Make sure the Wbtrcall.dll file is in the Windows\System directory. If the
  .dll file is missing, you can obtain it from Btrieve. This file is part of
  the Btrieve for Windows product. The Wbtrcall.dll must be installed and
  accessible on the system.

3. Check the size of the Wbtrcall.dll file. There are two versions; one is 13K
  and the other is 51K. The 13K Wbtrcall.dll lacks full functionality and will
  cause an error. Be sure the 51K version is being used.

4. Check the version of the Btrieve data file being used. When you use a Btrieve
  5.1 data file, the 51K Wbtrcall.dll file is needed. However, use the Btrieve
  client software when connecting to a Btrieve 6x file.

5. Check the Operating System. Presently, Microsoft ships the 16-Bit Btrieve
  driver. If the operating system is Windows NT or Windows 95, you must get the
  32-bit ODBC driver. To do this, contact Btrieve directly at 1-800-287-4383
  and choosing option 3.

6. Be sure the File.ddf and Field.ddf files are located in the same directory as
  the .dat files. The paths to the Btrieve data files are hard-coded in the
  .ddf files. The Btrieve driver uses the .ddf files when connecting to a
  Btrieve datasource. If the .ddf files are missing, then the Btrieve driver
  will not be able to connect. The .ddf files can be created using a third
  party .ddf builder such as Xtrieve, DDF Builder, or Btrieve Scalable SQL.
  Xtrieve and Btreive Scalable SQL are sold by Btrieve technologies, a vendor
  independent of Microsoft.

7. Make sure that you have the Btrieve 2.0 ODBC driver (this comes with Visual
  FoxPro Professional). You need this driver to connect to a Btrieve 6x file.
  The Microsoft ODBC Desktop Driver Kit 1.0 comes with a Btrieve ODBC driver
  that can connect to Btrieve 5.1 (16-bit driver). The Microsoft ODBC desktop
  Driver Kit 2.0 comes with Btrieve ODBC driver, which can be used to connect
  to Btrieve 5.1 or Btrieve 6x.

8. Make sure there are no non-alphanumeric characters in the table name. This
  will usually cause "Syntax Errors" when retrieving data. File naming
  conventions call for standard alphanumeric characters in table names.

9. Make sure Btrieve data sources are added correctly, by following the
  instructions outlined here. In the Main group in the Program Manager window,
  double-click the Control Panel icon. In the Control Panel window,
  double-click the ODBC icon.

  a. In the Data Sources dialog box, choose the Add button. The Add Data Source
     dialog box appears.

  b. In the Installed ODBC Drivers list, select the Btrieve driver and choose
     the OK button. The ODBC Driver dialog box appears.

  c. In the Btrieve ODBC Driver dialog box, enter the Data Source Name and the
     Connect String information, which should be made available by the Network
     Administrator. The Description can be set to whatever you want. For more
     information about these options, press the Help button in the dialog box.

10. Make sure the correct data source name is used in the ODBC Btrieve Setup
  dialog box. It should be a directory name or the current directory as
  indicated in the Setup dialog box.

11. Make sure the Btrieve table names don't begin with SQL keywords such as
  Update, In, Select, Create, Drop, Alter, or any other keyword.

12. Make sure the Btrieve.trn file exists and has not been renamed.

13. Check the Win.ini file for a [Btrieve] initialization option section. The
  Btrieve 5.x format should contain an Options statement similar to the one in
  the following example:

      [BTRIEVE]
      Options=/M:64/P:4096 /b:16 /f:20/l:40/n:12/t:Btrieve.Trn

14. If the Btrieve version is Btrieve.nlm (server-based version), check the
  Win.ini file (for Btrieve version 5.1x) or the Novdb.ini file (for Btrieve
  version 6.x), and include the following command example:

      [BREQUESTDPMI]
      datalength=4096
      tasks=10
      local=no
      Chkparms=no

These troubleshooting steps should resolve the majority of connection errors, in
the event none of these solutions correct the problem, please contact Microsoft
Product Support for further assistance.

REFERENCES
==========

These sample configurations will depend on your installation requirements and
setup. For additional details, parameters, and options, please see your Btrieve
documentation.

For more information about accessing a Btrieve database, please see the following
article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.

  Q115837 Using the Connectivity Kit to Access a Btrieve Database


Additional query words: ODBC Btrieve SQL Server Tshoot

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbvfp kbvfp300b kbvfp600 
Technology        : kbVFPsearch kbAudDeveloper kbVFP300b kbVFP600
Version           : 3.0b
Issue type        : kbhowto

=============================================================================

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