Hello,

We need help importing the attached mdb data file into FM12 in Windows.  The Detail field is encoded, we are told "4-bit binary" by the nurse call system manufacturer.  We had some limited success using the Code function, but all of the characters can't be read. 

 

We have played with various ODBC drivers but we are still learning the ins and outs.  Any help or direction would be appreciated.

-- Jim

 

R4KJun13.zip

Your file is a windows only format. If you can put it into a cross platform format, you open up the available help from the Mac Members.

The Mac app store lists a number of MDB viewers. Such as 

MDB / ACCDB Viewer

 

http://eggerapps.at/mdbviewer/

 

I was able to open the file with this tool.

But I think you're going to need to tell us more about the encoding issues.

All,

Thanks for your suggestions.  Since my original post last week, our 16 year old Filemaker intern (he is not available for hire!) gave me the attached import into Filemaker (Mac zip archive attached).  He imported the mdb data using Microsoft's standard current MS Access ODBC driver. 

 

The issue is the "Detail" field which the manufacturer tells us...

Contains 4 binary (non-ASCII) bytes per Event of the transaction.  The bytes are:

•             event-code (this is the value of the type field from the Event table in the Current.MDB)

•             priority (used from call and srvc events)

•             time (2-byte <lo, hi> offset in seconds from basetime of the transaction)

 

Using the Filemaker Code function our intern has a calculation doing a position by position conversion to ASCII.  However, some of the 4 binary bytes are not converting correctly into ASCII as compared to an export of the data from the nurse call computer.  In the Filemaker file attached, records 4, 7 and 8 (Transaction IDs 21, 27, 29) contain 4 digit numerical values like 8220, 8218 and 8221.  These are not converted to the correct ASCII 2 digit values.

 

This nurse call system was first made in the late 1990's so we are thinking the newer ODBC drivers may not be reading the old "4 binary (non-ASCII) bytes" correctly.

 

Thanks again!

 

(P.S. We are trying to pull the data directly rather than setting up a timed macro export from the nurse call computer).

Filemaker_Test_Import_MDB_via_ODBC.zip