Posted by David Portas on 01/31/06 12:02

Shwetabh wrote:
> Hi,
> I am using MS-SQL server to store my database.
> My problem is that I have around 150+ database files in DBF format.
> Each database file consists of fields ranging from 2 to 33 in number.
> Also, there are some fields which have just one entry and rest are
> NULL.
> This database will be accessed by a printing software.
> Please advice as to how I should proceed to normalize this database.
>
> Regards,
> Shwetabh

Assuming "DBF format" means xBase/FoxPro format data not in SQL Server
then I think you are asking about two different tasks.

1. Designing a data model for SQL
2. Importing the legacy data into the new model.

1. Design should proceed from business requirements to conceptual
modelling to logical modelling to physical modelling. As far as
possible that design process shouldn't be constrained by any legacy
data file format. From what you've said and based on my own experience
in the xBase/FoxPro world the existing data model won't give you many
clues about how best to implement it in SQL. On the other hand,
analysis of the data itself should be a useful way to discover
dependencies and constraints and for testing that the real data
conforms to the expected business rules. To that end you may wish
temporarily to load the data into SQL Server in a form that mirrors the
existing table structures...

2. Getting the data into SQL is the "easy" part. SQL Server DTS (in
SQL2000) or Integration Services (2005) support the DBF file format as
a data source and will help you map the old data to the new structure.
Expect to do some manipulation in Transact SQL also.

--
David Portas, SQL Server MVP

Whenever possible please post enough code to reproduce your problem.
Including CREATE TABLE and INSERT statements usually helps.
State what version of SQL Server you are using and specify the content
of any error messages.

SQL Server Books Online:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/library/ms130214(en-US,SQL.90).aspx
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