Understanding the table.fdat file

The table.fdat file is a data file that contains the settings of all tables. The contents of the file is stored in plain text and may be edited directly through a text editor. Caution must be used when editing with this method due to the possibility of corrupting one or more tables or databases. Backing up this file before editing is always advised. The advantage of using a text editor is that the information can actually be edited more efficiently than with SQL commands.

First, it should be noted that the file is space delimited and broken into set columns.

The first column is the database that the table belongs to.

The second column is the table name.

The next columns are the data types paired with the column names. The codes for the data types are in this document.

The next to the last column is the file index associated with the table.

The last column is the name of the primary key.