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I'm hoping somebody out there can help me with this. I'm attempting to extract some barcode data from some .dat files. Its a B Tree file system with groups of three files .dat .ix. .dia. The company that wrote the software (a long time ago) say that the program is written in Pascal. I have no experience in reverse engineering but from what I read its most likely the only way to extract the data as the structure of the database is contained in the code of the program. I'm looking for advice on where to start.

pnuts
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user2956658
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  • Without access to the code or anyone who can tell you what this is, you need to make heavy use of Google and maybe contacting someone. When I googled "dat ix dia" and "B-tree" I found [this link](http://dbaspot.com/btrieve/264647-dat-ix-files.html) that seems to say that the data files are created by a product called "Turbo Power Filer". You could start chasing that lead to see where it goes. In short, you need to be a detective. Ultimately, you might be able to get some documentation on the format. – lurker Nov 20 '15 at 21:28
  • I don't have access to the source code unfortunately but I do have the .exe file for the program. I've been reading about reverse engineering and it seems incredibly complicated. Its frustrating because I know the data is in there I just can't get to it! – user2956658 Nov 20 '15 at 21:46
  • Reverse engineering isn't something you learn by someone explaining it in a few simple steps. Like I say, it's a lot of detective work, research, and arduous analysis of what you have. Looking for patterns, trying things, etc. I gave you a few suggestions for things to do in this case and how to think about it. @Adem's answer elaborates on what I said in my comment. Be prepared to spend a long time on this task. – lurker Nov 21 '15 at 13:11

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I suppose the first thing you need to do is to see if the exe you've got was written with Delphi. You can check with this: http://cc.embarcadero.com/Item/15250

Then, to see if the exe that creates those .dat files were made with 'TurboPower B-Tree Filer', the I'd suggest you download and take a look at this: http://sourceforge.net/projects/tpbtreefiler/

At this step, looking at these sources is needed to familiarize yourself with the class names used in 'TurboPower B-Tree Filer' to help determine if any of those classes were used in your exe.

Then, using 'XN Resource Editor' [search the Internet for this] or, probhably better, 'MiTeC Portable Executable Reader' [ http://www.mitec.cz/pe.html ], see if any class names are relevant.

If they are, then you're in luck --sort of. All you will need to do is to write an app using 'TurboPower B-Tree Filer' to import the data in your dat files to export or manipulate as you wish.

At that point, you might find this link useful.

TurboPower B-Tree Filer and Delphi XE2 - Anyone done it?

If, OTOH, none of the above applies; I fear the only option is to reverse engineer the exe you have.

Community
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Adem
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  • Thanks guys, you've been more than helpful. I completely understand that reverse engineering is not a simple process and I get that I'm out of my depth here. But at least I know I'm correct in thinking that it wasn't just a matter of converting the files or finding the right application. Thanks again. – user2956658 Nov 21 '15 at 21:52