How to: Convert a PDB file to a Microsoft Access MDB database

HanDBase Data Exchange

With HanDBase 3.0 Enterprise Edition installed you have the ability to convert a Palm PDB file into a Microsoft Access database file (or any other ODBC datasource, but that is outside the scope of this article). This is particularly useful when you have lost data during a HotSync operation and want to recover data from a backup PDB file.

1. Click on the "Start" button and then "All Programs". Navigate to "HanDBase 3.0" -> "Data Exchange" -> "HanDBase® Data Exchange"
   

2. Select "Convert HanDBase Database to ODBC Data Source".
   

3. Fill out the window, using the image below as a guide:

   • Specify the PDB file in the first text box,
   • Specify the datasource you are exporting to. In this example we are exporting to an Access database. If the database doesn't exist then it will be created,
   • Specify the name of the destination table. If you specified an existing database file in the previous step the dropdown list will contain a list of tables. If you specify a new table name it will be automatically created,
   • Click on "Export Data" and a message box will popup indicating the success or failure of the export.
   
   

The database will now contain the records from the PDB file. This information can then be used to be copied & pasted into an existing database file to recover missing information.