Lyris List Manager ODBC Introduction
We offer an ODBC driver written specifically for the database file format that Lyris List Manager uses. This is an extra-cost option. Information about purchasing this driver is
available from our sales & pricing web page, at http://www.lyris.com/sales.html
The database file format that Lyris List Manager uses is the FoxPro standard. In theory, one should be able to use one of the free methods for reading this database format. These free methods are:
1) Reading FoxPro files natively from Microsoft Access.
2) Using the Microsoft FoxPro ODBC driver.
3) Using the Microsoft Visual FoxPro ODBC driver.
4) Using the Microsoft Visual FoxPro program.
Unfortunately, reality is quite different from theory. We have found numerous bugs in the first three methods. When reading FoxPro files natively from Access, fields are often not visible, and you
get a ???? value instead. With the FoxPro driver, views and queries do not return all the results. With the Visual FoxPro driver, Access gives odd error messages, and prevents you from making
queries. We've also had reports of odd locking errors. A few people have had some success with these drivers, but most people who try to use them to any extent run into insurmountable problems.
We believe that these problems are caused by Microsoft, and not by Lyris List Manager, because the Microsoft Visual FoxPro program has no problems whatsoever reading and writing the
Lyris List Manager files. Because Visual FoxPro has no problems, we must assume that the other programs are at fault.
You are welcome to try to use the other ODBC drivers, but if you have problems with them, we cannot help you, as we cannot get them to work ourselves.
For this reason, we sell a Lyris List Manager ODBC driver written specifically for our file format, using the same database libraries we use, and we know this driver works.
The Lyris List Manager ODBC driver only works from Microsoft Windows, but can read files on other file systems, such as on a mounted network drive of a Lyris List Manager system running on
Solaris.
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