FoxPro
SQL Server

FoxPro / DBF to SQL Server Converter

Move legacy Visual FoxPro databases or standalone DBF, dBase, Clipper, and XBase files into SQL Server, Azure SQL, or Amazon RDS. Schema and data conversion with optional two-way sync.

DBF to SQL Server migration moves Visual FoxPro .dbc databases or free .dbf tables into a managed SQL Server schema.

The row copy is the easy part; turning desktop file-based assumptions into a managed relational schema is where the work lives.

What DBConvert does on this path: handles the legacy DBF move as a repeatable desktop workflow:

  • Reads Visual FoxPro databases, standalone DBF tables, dBase, Clipper, XBase, and FoxBase sources.
  • Converts DBF table structure and data into SQL Server-compatible tables.
  • Writes to SQL Server, SQL Server Express, Azure SQL Database, or Amazon RDS for SQL Server.

What DBSync adds: repeat synchronization when the legacy DBF/FoxPro source must keep exchanging inserts, updates, and deletes with SQL Server during a staged migration.

Which tool: DBConvert or DBSync?

DBConvert for DBF → SQL Server

One-time migration. Use it when SQL Server is becoming the target database and you need DBF/FoxPro schema, table data, indexes, and type mapping moved through a desktop wizard.

DBSync for DBF ↔ SQL Server

Repeat synchronization. Use it when the FoxPro application must stay operational while SQL Server is populated, tested, or used by a new reporting or application layer.

Need more context? Compare DBConvert and DBSync side by side →

How DBConvert handles the DBF/FoxPro → SQL Server differences

DBF/FoxPro sources are folders of related files, not a single database, and carry desktop-database assumptions that SQL Server does not share. DBConvert handles the file-level move and column-level mapping in the wizard with sensible defaults that you can review or override per table; FoxPro application logic is outside the migration tool.

  • .dbc databases and free .dbf tables. Reads Visual FoxPro .dbc database containers with their metadata, and standalone folders of free .dbf files as independent table sets — pick the source shape at the connect step.
  • Memo and binary-style values. Picks up companion memo files (.fpt) alongside each .dbf so Memo and General column data travels with the table set — keep the related files in the source folder during migration.
  • Deleted records. DBF rows marked for deletion are not physically removed in the source; DBConvert lets you include or exclude those rows on the SQL Server target — pick the policy in the wizard.
  • Encoding. Re-encodes legacy DOS / Windows code pages to the SQL Server target collation so names, addresses, notes, and memo text round-trip correctly — verify with a trial conversion before cutover.
  • FoxPro application objects — outside DBConvert's scope. DBConvert's migration covers tables (with their fields, types, defaults, and indexes), views, and foreign keys. Forms, reports, .prg programs, menus, and FoxPro business logic are part of the FoxPro application, not the database — rebuilding that layer is a separate workstream (web framework, .NET front end, BI tool).

Type mapping checkpoints

  • Memo fields usually map to varchar(max) or nvarchar(max); inspect long notes after import to catch truncation.
  • Logical fields become SQL Server bit values; confirm how true, false, blank, and null-like values are represented in the source.
  • Date and DateTime fields need a policy for blank or invalid legacy dates because SQL Server requires valid date values or NULL.
  • Character fields may be padded with spaces; test trimming rules before adding keys, unique indexes, or lookup joins.

Why SQL Server is the common target

Supported database platform

Visual FoxPro 9.0 extended support ended on January 13, 2015. SQL Server gives teams supported backups, permissions, reporting, and integration while the old application is replaced.

Microsoft-centered operations

Existing .NET applications, reporting, Azure SQL policies, and DBA operations can reuse migrated DBF data without keeping file-based tables.

DBConvert vs other DBF to SQL Server paths

Pick the route by the operational problem, not just by whether it can read a DBF file.

Route Where it fits Where it falls short
SSIS / SQL Server Import & Export Wizard via Visual FoxPro ODBC / OLE DB One-off import through Visual FoxPro ODBC / OLE DB providers. Driver bitness, path permissions, long fields, object selection, and cleanup remain manual.
SSMA Microsoft Migration Assistant — SSMA targets Access, DB2, MySQL, Oracle, and SAP ASE → SQL Server. Does not cover Visual FoxPro / DBF → SQL Server at all.
DBF-to-SQL script generators offline tools When the deliverable is a .sql file that an operator runs later. No live SQL Server target; saved mappings cannot be re-run automatically.
DBConvert / DBSync commercial desktop, Windows Same desktop workflow across Visual FoxPro .dbc and free .dbf, writing to SQL Server, SQL Server Express, Azure SQL, or Amazon RDS, with saved sessions and optional DBSync. Commercial license; desktop tool (Windows). DBF index files (.cdx, .idx) and FoxPro stored procedures do not convert (the same is true of every route in this table).

Practical limits

DBConvert and DBSync move database structure and data; they do not retire the FoxPro application by themselves. If the old application still writes to DBF files, plan a staged migration with clear table ownership and sync direction. If SQL Server is becoming the system of record, use one-way synchronization toward SQL Server during the transition and stop DBF writes after cutover.

FoxPro-based products should run on Windows or a Windows VM because they depend on Microsoft Office / FoxPro libraries. DBConvert's macOS/Linux WINE guidance does not apply to Access, FoxPro, or Excel-based products. See the non-Windows notes before planning a Mac or Linux migration workstation.

Supported versions

  • Visual FoxPro .dbc databases and standalone DBF tables
  • Free tables (DBF without .dbc container) and Memo (.fpt) files
  • SQL Server 2008–2022, including Express editions
  • Azure SQL Database and Amazon RDS for SQL Server
  • SQL Server schemas (dbo, custom schemas)
  • Windows authentication or SQL authentication

Supported in this path

Source FoxPro
Target SQL Server
Visual FoxPro DBF / dBase free tables Clipper / XBase DBF Microsoft SQL Server SQL Server Express Azure SQL Database Amazon RDS for SQL Server
FoxPro

All FoxPro Tools

Other directions and pairs
SQL Server

All SQL Server Tools

Migration & sync options

Reverse Conversion

SQL Server to FoxPro

Using FoxPro to SQL Server Tools

When launching the DBConvert or DBSync application in GUI mode, it guides you through the steps to start database migration or synchronization:

1

Connect to FoxPro source database

Specify the username/password and host/port parameters if your source database requires login credentials.

Connect to FoxPro source database from DBConvert

FoxPro source

Open a Visual FoxPro .dbc database or create the source from a folder of free .dbf tables.

2

Connect to SQL Server destination database

Specify parameters for the destination database similar to the source, defining connection settings and username/password pairs.

Connect to SQL Server target database from DBConvert

SQL Server target

Use TCP/IP or Named Pipes, Azure SQL, or the RDS connection guide.

More guides for FoxPro ↔ SQL Server

Next steps: configure, validate, run

After connecting source and target, the remaining steps are the same for every database pair:

  • Configure migration options — pick tables, fields, indices, views.
  • Issue detection — the built-in checker flags integrity problems before migration starts.
  • Execute — commit the job, monitor progress, save the session for reuse.
  • Schedule and CLI — rerun saved sessions on a schedule or from the command line.
Open the full guide

Steps 3–5, software features, command-line mode, scheduler, and system requirements.

See all features