topic Re: Lotus Approach in Tech Help - Software/Hardware etc

Lotus Approach

journeys — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 08:07:45 GMT

I've been given some historic data that was written and backed up with Lotus Approach, there are around 10,000 records in a database.
Has anyone any idea what software would currently read them
TIA

Re: Lotus Approach

Oldjim — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 09:55:30 GMT

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302448
It might also be worth trying OpenOffice Base

Re: Lotus Approach

Strat — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 10:08:51 GMT

Or LibreOffice an offshoot of OpenOffice.

Re: Lotus Approach

journeys — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 12:58:28 GMT

@strat, @oldjim:- thanks, not much help I'm afraid, all I have is a 500k .APR file. I've tried access, base, calc, xl, as import, connect and open, also tried importing with SQL server, no luck. Guess I need to get onto the original PC that housed the Data.

Re: Lotus Approach

Oldjim — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 13:01:38 GMT

http://www.howtofixcomputers.com/forums/microsoft-office/what-will-open-lotus-approach-apr-file-i-dont-have-lotus-178528.html doesn't give much hope

Re: Lotus Approach

ReedRichards — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 13:08:49 GMT

Sometimes a two-stage approach pays off (although not in this case, judging by the link Oldjim just found). It is more likely that a contemporary rival of Lotus Approach might have the ability to import its files than the modern equivalent. So perhaps Access 2000 could, whereas modern Access cannot. But modern Access could read an Access 2000 file.

Re: Lotus Approach

journeys — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 13:29:45 GMT

@oldjim:- thanks already read that page.
@RR: Again thanks (twice in one day ::)), have office 97 thru office 2007 installed on different PC's, no luck.
But I have found the original PC, now to try and get access to it.

Re: Lotus Approach

VileReynard — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 15:43:13 GMT

If there is any connection with Lotus Notes, you're stuffed.
It may be encrypted....

Re: Lotus Approach

journeys — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 19:34:26 GMT

Foxy:- thanks guess I came to that conclusion.
why-oh-why do folk backup the data then forget to keep copies of the program that created it.

Re: Lotus Approach

ReedRichards — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 19:42:18 GMT

But see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Lotus_Approach . Lotus bought Approach from a company of the same name so any relationship with Notes may be in name only.

Re: Lotus Approach

ejs — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 20:04:29 GMT

This implies you don't even have the data if all you have is just a .apr file, there should be a .dbf file with it:
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=0&uid=swg21172044

Re: Lotus Approach

journeys — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 08:56:57 GMT

@ejs:- you could well be right. It is a "backed up" file from around 2002, although would be surprised that a 'national organisation' didn't test their backup process

Re: Lotus Approach

ReedRichards — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 10:55:00 GMT

Quote from: journeys
would be surprised that a 'national organisation' didn't test their backup process

You would??!?

Re: Lotus Approach

Oldjim — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 11:07:11 GMT

When my previous employer moved offices from Poole to Sheffield (they closed the Poole office) they backed up all the CAD files using the system built in archiving system.
All good you would think
Unfortunately the database system used for CAD storage and document control in the Poole office was unique to that office and when they closed the office they scrapped the system without having checked whether the Sheffield system could access the files.
Guess what - they now had all the CAD files carefully backed up and transferred to Sheffield but they couldn't access any of them.
Of course it didn't help that as part of the office closure they made the entire IT department redundant (I wonder if they hadn't done that there error would have been pointed out and the CAD files extracted from the database into a more normal storage system)