# How can I read this file? **URL:** \ **Category:** Forum\ **Tags:** Adabas-Natural, Natural, Natural-Code-Samples, Natural-on-Windows-Unix\ **Created:** [March 27, 2020, 12:45pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/how-can-i-read-this-file/207671 "2020-03-27T12:45:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![George\_Joe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e36b37/32.png) [@George\_Joe](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/George_Joe)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2020, 12:45pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/how-can-i-read-this-file/207671/1 "2020-03-27T12:45:42Z")
Hello, how (or using which program) can I open and read this file? [example.zip](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/uploads/short-url/hqBHd0kyecgyQtqZogvPeSPvEFZ.zip) (591 Bytes) ---
**Author:** ![Ralph\_Zbrog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/user_avatar/techcommunity.softwareag.com/ralph_zbrog/32/78_2.png) [@Ralph\_Zbrog](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Ralph_Zbrog)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2020, 3:28pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/how-can-i-read-this-file/207671/2 "2020-03-27T15:28:04Z")
Was the file created on a mainframe or LUW platform? If mainframe, how was it downloaded? What utility created it? ---
**Author:** ![George\_Joe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e36b37/32.png) [@George\_Joe](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/George_Joe)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2020, 4:34pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/how-can-i-read-this-file/207671/3 "2020-03-27T16:34:23Z")
> [@Ralph Zbrog](#): > > Was the file created on a mainframe or LUW platform? If mainframe, how was it downloaded? What utility created it? Thank you Ralph! These are database files of another program. I have only these files available and I think that this is from Adabas. Please tell me, do these files belong to Adabas? I would also like to know the structure of these files. [example.zip](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/uploads/short-url/anTn9mS19Fz4jlYc1ZKSsltFAiS.zip) (13.2 KB) ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Robinson](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/user_avatar/techcommunity.softwareag.com/steve_robinson/32/107_2.png) [@Steve\_Robinson](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Steve_Robinson)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2020, 2:59pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/how-can-i-read-this-file/207671/4 "2020-03-28T14:59:16Z")
Try Winzip or 7-zip which are the two main free zip programs. just do a search on zip software. ---
**Author:** ![George\_Joe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e36b37/32.png) [@George\_Joe](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/George_Joe)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2020, 3:01pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/how-can-i-read-this-file/207671/5 "2020-03-29T15:01:24Z")
> [@Steve Robinson](#): > > Try Winzip or 7-zip > > which are the two main free zip programs. just do a search on zip software. Thank you Steve, I can’t identify the files INSIDE the archive. ---
**Author:** ![George\_Cooper](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/user_avatar/techcommunity.softwareag.com/george_cooper/32/7831_2.png) [@George\_Cooper](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/George_Cooper)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2020, 11:07pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/how-can-i-read-this-file/207671/6 "2020-03-29T23:07:56Z")
OK, unzipping your 2nd example.zip file shows 3 files, overview.ddm, overview.fdt, and OVERVIEW.BIN. You can “read” them by dragging and dropping them into Windows Notepad or your favorite text editor program. (Recommend finding one that displays in HEX format.) I suspect they are ADABAS files since ddm - data definition module, and fdt - field description table, are ADABAS terms. Looking at the contents with an editor, they do look like the ADABAS files related to the unload and decompression of a database file called OVERVIEW. That being said, it would probably be a good idea before this thread goes any further to repost your question and the 3 sample files to one of the ADABAS forums, like Adabas Basics on Mainframes or Adabas Basics on Linux, Unix, Windows (LUW), depending on which type of computer you think the files came from. More SAG ADABAS experts and DBAs tend to monitor those forums, so you will probably get more informed replies from there. Natural programmers tend not to be as well versed on ADABAS internals, utilities and unloaded files. You also might describe what you want to do with the files. Load them back into an ADABAS database? That might be possible with ADABAS utilities ADACMP and ADALOD. Just print a report of the data, or load it into another database? That will probably take a custom program or two written in your favorite programming language. If you are anxious to start programming, some tips to get you started. File overview.ddm seems to be a pure text file that relates the 2-character ADABAS internal field names to their long field names. Eg., AA = MARKT (German), MARKET (English). Full file is posted here, English translations added by me, thanks to Google Translate. ```auto [FILE1] fdt=Overview.fdt [DDF] cnt=22 -- English -- 1=AA,S ;Markt Market 2=BA,S ;Modell Model 3=CA,I ;Einsatz Insert 4=DA,I ;Auslauf Discontinued 5=EA,S ;Bezeichnung Designation 6=EB,S ;Land Country 7=FA,I ;Epis Epis 8=GA,I ;Katalog Catalog 9=HA,I ;FI FI 10=IA,K ;Hauptgruppen Main Groups 11=JA,K ;VKB VKB 12=KA,S ;Werk Plant 13=LA,S ;Katalogmarkt Catalog Market 14=LB,K ;Brasilien Brazil 15=LC,K ;SubMarke Sub-brand 16=LD,K ;Neue Bilder New Pictures 17=LE,K ;EpisAlpha EpisAlpha 18=LF,K ;EZB ECB 19=LG,I ;TS TS 20=MA,K ;MSP MSP 21=MB,K ;Grafische Navigation Graphic Navigation 22=NA,K ;ASID ASID [GCX] FeldDispLen=40 ``` Overview.fdt shows the 2-char ADABAS names and probably indicates each field length in bytes, format (A alpha, U zoned/character numeric, B binary, P packed decimal, etc.). However the field attributes seem to be unreadable, maybe in some binary encoding. The trick to reading the data records is to decipher this .fdt file. The fields in the data records are laid out left to right in the sequence of the 22 fields listed in the .ddm file, but you need to figure out their lengths, formats, and if any are repeating value fields. Here’s a look at the contents below: Next, the OVERVIEW.BIN file is not a binary executable, just the unloaded data records with a mixture of ASCII text fields and binary fields. Here’s a sample. Here’s a link to the Forums documentation manuals for a LUW system, Utility ADADCU (Decompression Of Data) that probably created the file. [http://techcommunity.softwareag.com/ecosystem/documentation/adabas/ada67luw/utils/dcu.htm](http://techcommunity.softwareag.com/ecosystem/documentation/adabas/ada67luw/utils/dcu.htm) Hope that helps. Good luck. George ![overview_fdt.JPG](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/original/2X/a/ad702f97a46eb4a1c148c9997d95e53538e9a951.jpeg) ![OVERVIEW_BIN.JPG](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/original/2X/a/a32de52d461ef7001eed8f745a0a969b1e9c26c9.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Robinson](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/user_avatar/techcommunity.softwareag.com/steve_robinson/32/107_2.png) [@Steve\_Robinson](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Steve_Robinson)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 12:52pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/how-can-i-read-this-file/207671/7 "2020-03-30T12:52:22Z")
Somewhere there has to be someone in your company who would recognize the field names that George Cooper provided. Have you tried an e-mail to everyone in your IT department? ---
**Author:** ![George\_Joe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e36b37/32.png) [@George\_Joe](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/George_Joe)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2020, 7:42am UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/how-can-i-read-this-file/207671/8 "2020-04-03T07:42:56Z")
Thank you George, you wrote: > > Utility ADADCU (Decompression Of Data) that \>\>probably created the file > > Where can I get this utility? > > I did not find her on the site … ---
**Author:** ![George\_Cooper](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/user_avatar/techcommunity.softwareag.com/george_cooper/32/7831_2.png) [@George\_Cooper](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/George_Cooper)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2020, 9:43am UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/how-can-i-read-this-file/207671/9 "2020-04-03T09:43:26Z")
The ADABAS utility programs are included with a purchased ADABAS installation package. The utilities would not help you unless you have an ADABAS database you can load the files on. Since you don’t seem willing to to answer any of the questions you’ve been asked by me, Steve and Ralph trying to help you, you are beginning to sound like a hacker who ran across some ADABAS archive files they should not have access to. I’m done answering any more of your questions. ---
**Author:** ![George\_Joe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e36b37/32.png) [@George\_Joe](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/George_Joe)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 10:04am UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/how-can-i-read-this-file/207671/10 "2020-04-06T10:04:44Z")
> [@George Cooper](#): > > The ADABAS utility programs are included with a purchased ADABAS installation package. The utilities would not help you unless you have an ADABAS database you can load the files on. > > Since you don’t seem willing to to answer any of the questions you’ve been asked by me, Steve and Ralph trying to help you, you are beginning to sound like a hacker who ran across some ADABAS archive files they should not have access to. > > I’m done answering any more of your questions. Sorry George, but I’m not a hacker. I do programming, I need to get information from bin table files and I don’t know how to do it right … And what questions do I need to answer? I am ready to answer you. I need to understand the algorithm of actions in order to correctly parse the database table file and write a program (if there are no utilities for this). Sorry if I upset you with something … ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/original/3X/c/d/cd19967bb605d28a72d77eb83a1cae22f3df2eb8.svg) [@system](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2021, 3:44pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/how-can-i-read-this-file/207671/11 "2021-04-02T15:44:25Z")