{
  "id": "1996-august-switching-from-foxpro-to-access",
  "slug": "1996-august-switching-from-foxpro-to-access",
  "url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/1996-august-switching-from-foxpro-to-access.html",
  "year": 1996,
  "month": "August",
  "monthNum": 8,
  "headline": "Switching from FoxPro to Access",
  "kicker": "Tech Tip",
  "author_name": "Richard Mullins",
  "author_title": "NICAR",
  "affiliation": "University of Missouri",
  "summary": "This technical guide outlines the key differences between FoxPro and Microsoft Access for journalists. It explains database object management, syntax variations in SQL, and the benefits of using Access for data analysis.",
  "keywords": [
    "FoxPro",
    "Access",
    "SQL"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Technology",
    "Data & Databases"
  ],
  "technologies": [
    "FoxPro",
    "Access",
    "SQL"
  ],
  "full_text": "Some journalists love FoxPro; others just use it. But no one believes it's pretty or the easiest to learn. If you're making the switch, or starting to use Access for much of your work, here's a guide to the conversion. In FoxPro, every table, query, and index is a separate file. Access uses one Database file (.mdb) to hold objects like tables, queries, forms, and reports. This presents objects with a file cabinet metaphor. Character field length storage is another difference; long field lengths do not waste space in Access. The file size of an Access database increases as you add to it, but does not contract if you delete rows; you must use the Compact Database command. Making queries in Access is easier as you can type SQL with line breaks without the semicolons FoxPro requires. Syntax differences include dates, which use the pound sign (#) in Access, and wildcard characters like '*' and '?' which match DOS standards. Access defaults to being case-insensitive for criteria. You can use 'Attached tables' to query FoxPro files in their native format without duplicating them. You can also use long names with spaces for tables and columns in Access, whereas FoxPro limits you to 8 characters for table names.",
  "provenance": {
    "extracted_by": "pre-v2",
    "extracted_at": "",
    "verified": true
  },
  "similar": [
    {
      "slug": "1998-april-foxpro-to-access-and-back-again",
      "score": 0.466
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      "score": 0.314
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  ],
  "html_url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/1996-august-switching-from-foxpro-to-access.html",
  "json_url": "https://dwillis.github.io/uplink/article/1996-august-switching-from-foxpro-to-access.json"
}