Borland Database Engine (BDE)

The Borland Database Engine (BDE) is a Windows-based database engine and connectivity software for applications such as Visual dBASE for Windows, Paradox for Windows, IntraBuilder, Borland Delphi and C++Builder. Its database drivers provide access to multiple standard data sources. The Borland Database Engine is object-oriented by design. To connect to different data sources, BDE provides a low-level API which is known as the BDE API. BDE also provides a provision for querying the data in the tables and database with its own querying language.

The Borland Database Engine supports both standard database drivers and the Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) application programming interfaces (APIs) for connecting to multiple standard data sources such as Paradox, Access, dBASE, FoxPro and text databases. Additionally, the users of BDE can use Borland’s SQL Links to link to multiple database management systems such as Sybase, Oracle, Informix, DB2 and Interbase. BDE provides an executive file known as the BDEADMIN.EXE which can be used to perform all administrator-related configurations on BDE. BDE provides Local SQL that lets the user query standard database tables that are not available on the database servers. Local SQL can also be used to query multiple tables on remote SQL servers.