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Upsert data from TXT (“|” pipe delimited text) file to DBF without programming

Want to upsert data from TXT (“|” pipe delimited text) file to DBF?

Upsert: inserts rows into a table if they do not already exist, or updates them if they do.>

Using FileToDB, a native GUI tool, you can upsert data from TXT (“|” pipe delimited text) file to DBF (dBase, FoxBase, FoxPro) easily and fast, no need to program, just a few mouse clicks!

Support Windows, Linux, macOS

Here you can download and install FileToDB.

Upsert data from TXT (“|” pipe delimited text) file to DBF (dBase, FoxBase, FoxPro)

Choose DBF and logon.

Click “Wizard – 1 File To 1 Table” at task dialog.

Select the “TXT” file type.

then show the wizard.

1. Open a TXT (“|” pipe delimited text) file.

2. Select a table and config fields.

Set “Load Type” to “Upsert”, choice “By Key”.

3. Preview data.

4. Upsert TXT data to DBF (dBase, FoxBase, FoxPro).

View upserted data

You can schedule and automate this converting task by:

1) Save session and create .bat file.

2) Set scheduled task.


More about FileToDB – the tool to upsert data from TXT (“|” pipe delimited text) file to DBF (dBase, FoxBase, FoxPro)

30-day free trial

TXT → DBF reference

Type mapping

Value kindin TXTin DBF
Int1234, or right-aligned in a fixed-width columnNumeric(10,0)
Bigint9007199254740993Numeric(19,0)
Decimal1234.56Numeric(p,s)
Float1.234e+10Float
Textwritten as-is; padding depends on the chosen layoutCharacter(n)
Long textwritten as-isMemo
Datewhatever the writer choseDate
Datetimewhatever the writer chose(none)
Binarynot representable(none)
BooleanY / N, or 1 / 0, or TRUE / FALSELogical
JSONwritten as-is(none)

Dialect differences

TXT is a file format and DBF is a database server, so the target has to be told the types the file never carried - the rows below are where the two sides diverge.

Propertyin TXTin DBF
port—(file-based)
identifiersNone by convention—
row limit—(driver dependent)
datesWhatever the writer produced; no convention is guaranteedDate (D)
long text—Memo (M)
binaryNot supported—
separatorWhatever was chosen - often fixed column widths—
encodingNo declaration - UTF-8 works only with a BOM—
typingNone - every field is text—
shapeFree form; a parser has to be told the layoutTables of rows and columns
ceilingNo formal limit—

No counterpart

  • TXT values of kind Date and time have nowhere to go in DBF.
  • TXT values of kind Binary have nowhere to go in DBF.
  • TXT values of kind JSON have nowhere to go in DBF.

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