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The BDE Administrator (BDEADMIN.EXE) is a redistributable application that you use to configure the Borland Database Engine (BDE). Use this utility program to set up and manage your application's aliases, configure BDE database drivers, and to set BDE system parameters (like date and numeric formats).

The Configuration page in the left pane contains the parameters for BDE system configuration and database drivers (standard drivers, SQL Links drivers, and ODBC drivers). The Databases page contains alias definitions. The utility includes context-sensitive help to guide you in making configuration changes (BDEADMIN.HLP).

The BDE Administrator is installed with the BDE. Assuming you have no other BDE-based applications on your workstation at installation time, the installation program sets up IDAPI.CFG as the default BDE configuration file This means that the first time you open the BDE Administrator it will display the parameters stored in IDAPI.CFG as well as the Windows Registry.

The default configuration file, if any, is defined in the Windows Registry under:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Borland/Database Engine/CONFIGFILE01

The BDE Administrator gives you the option of saving configuration information in two formats: 32-bit format and a composite 16-/32-bit format for compatibility with 16-bit BDE applications. See Saving configuration information for details about how and where configuration information may be stored.

For complete information on configuring the BDE system, managing database aliases, and configuring database server drivers, see: BDE Administrator Help.

Overriding configuration file defaults

You can override the default configuration file by using the BDE function DbiInit, but only one configuration file may be used at a time. If one application is active and you attempt to override the default configuration file while a second application starts with a different configuration file, the error message DBIERR_CFGMULTIFILE is generated.

Whether you override the default configuration file by using DbiInit or not, the NET DIR entry in the Paradox section of the configuration file is always active and will take precedence over any other NET DIR parameters that may exist in older 16-bit configuration files, or in the System Init section of the current configuration file, or in the Registry. These other NET DIR entries will have no effect. To access a Paradox table on a network drive, the active NET DIR parameter in the Paradox section of the BDE configuration file must point to a network drive.

Any other information in the Drivers and System sections will be drawn from the Registry.