To use the Btrieve / Pervasive Data Definition File (DDF) Maker—more modernly known as the Pervasive/Actian DDF Builder—you are mapping the raw, transactional “byte structure” of older Btrieve .BTR files into relational SQL tables.
Btrieve files inherently contain raw data without metadata or column names. Creating Data Dictionary Files (DDFs) creates standard files like FILE.DDF, FIELD.DDF, and INDEX.DDF, allowing modern SQL tools and ODBC drivers to read your old transactional database files. Step 1: Create a Blank Database Container
Before analyzing your files, you need to establish a database directory where the newly generated DDFs will live. Open the Pervasive Control Center (PCC) or DDF Builder.
Right-click on your server engine name and select New -> Database.
Name your database and set the Location / Data Path to the folder where your existing Btrieve data files (e.g., .BTR, .DAT, .MKD) are stored.
Ensure the option to Create DDFs is enabled. This automatically generates empty dictionary definition tracking files in that directory. Step 2: Load Your Btrieve Files
With the container configured, you will import the file frameworks into the builder.
Inside the DDF Builder interface, look at the Data Sources Explorer pane. Navigate down to the database you created in Step 1.
You will see a list of the unlinked Btrieve files residing in that data directory.
Right-click on the targeted file and select Create Table Definition.
Type a relational table name for this file when prompted and click OK. Step 3: Define the Data Structure (The Critical Phase)
Because Btrieve files do not store column data types or field boundaries within themselves, you must provide the file layout map.
If you have the source documentation: Open the Table Definition Editor. Look at your application’s source code or file layouts (often found in C struct headers or COBOL copybooks) to find data definitions.
If you do not have documentation: Click on the Table tab at the bottom to view the Raw Data View. This shows hexadecimal and ASCII data side-by-side. You must look for “known data” (like visible text strings or numbers) to manually guess where columns begin and end. To execute the definitions: Importing BTR to SQL – Actian Communities
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