Want to batch export data from DBF tables to TXT (“|” pipe delimited text) files?
Try Withdata DBToFile, a DBF to TXT converter for Windows, Linux, and macOS, Export DBF data to TXT, Easy and Fast.
- Can run in GUI mode, Step by Step, just a few mouse clicks.
- Can run in Command line, for Scheduled Tasks and Streams.
- Support Windows, Linux, and macOS.
Batch export data from DBF tables to TXT (“|” pipe delimited text) files
Login to DBF -> Select DBF tables -> Set TXT (“|” pipe delimited text) file options -> Export DBF tables to TXT
Choose DBF and logon.
Click “Export All Tables” at task dialog.
Select TXT file type.
1. Select DBF tables to export.
2. Set TXT (“|” pipe delimited text) options.
3. See DBF tables to be exported.
4. Set rows options.
5. Export DBF data to TXT (“|” pipe delimited text) files.
After exporting, you can view output TXT (“|” pipe delimited text) files.
More about DBF to TXT converter
Download Withdata DBToFile
See also:
- Export DBF table to TXT (pipe delimited text)
- Export DBF query results to TXT (pipe delimited text)
- Export multiple similar DBF tables to one TXT (pipe delimited text) file
DBF → Pipe-delimited reference
Type mapping
| Value kind | in DBF | in Pipe-delimited |
|---|---|---|
| Int | Numeric(10,0) | 1234 |
| Bigint | Numeric(19,0) | 9007199254740993 |
| Decimal | Numeric(p,s) | 1234.56 |
| Float | Float | 1.234e+10 |
| Text | Character(n) | quoted only when it contains a pipe or a quote |
| Long text | Memo | must be quoted; line breaks inside force multi-line records |
| Date | Date | 2026-09-18 |
| Datetime | (none) | 2026-09-18 14:30:00 |
| Binary | (none) | not representable - base64 or hex string |
| Boolean | Logical | TRUE / FALSE, or 1 / 0 depending on the writer |
| JSON | (none) | the whole JSON value quoted, with internal quotes doubled |
Dialect differences
DBF is a database server and Pipe-delimited is a file format, so the gap is wider than a dialect difference – the rows below are where values and structure stop lining up.
| Property | in DBF | in Pipe-delimited |
|---|---|---|
| port | (file-based) | — |
| identifiers | — | Double quotes; a literal quote is doubled ("" ) |
| row limit | (driver dependent) | — |
| dates | Date (D) | Conventional text: 2026-09-18 or 2026-09-18 14:30:00 |
| long text | Memo (M) | — |
| binary | — | Not supported |
| separator | — | Pipe "|" |
| encoding | — | No declaration - UTF-8 works only with a BOM |
| typing | — | None - every field is text |
| shape | Tables of rows and columns | Flat table, optional header row |
| ceiling | — | No formal limit; row count bounded by memory |
No counterpart
- Pipe-delimited has no equivalent for Date and time – it has to be flattened or dropped.
- Pipe-delimited has no equivalent for Binary – it has to be flattened or dropped.
- Pipe-delimited has no equivalent for JSON – it has to be flattened or dropped.
DBF to CSV without the manual work
For batch jobs, large files and scheduling use the DBF to CSV converter — an offline desktop app for Windows, Linux and macOS. Free trial.
