Moving TAP Database Files

Moving TAPÔ Database Files

Q: I need to move my Fixed Facility database from my machine to machine being used by another TAP licensee. What files do I need to move?

A: Several of the various TAP database files relate to each other, so the easiest way is to move all the database files in the folders below the folder where TAP is installed. This process is described in the "Moving TAP" article.

If you need to copy only the Fixed Facility files, it is best to also copy the antenna and transmission line library files as well, since the antenna and line information in the Fixed Facility database consists of links, or "pointers" to those other databases. If the antenna or line libraries on either machine have been modified (by editing or importing antenna or line information), the antenna information may be lost if you move only the fixed facility database files. Naturally if you copy the database files (facility, antenna, line, etc.) from one machine to the other, the information on the target machine will be overwritten and lost.

Another option is to use the Export and Import functions in the Fixed Facility editor. You can export the records from your machine to an intermediate database, then import from that database using the Fixed Facility editor on the target machine. Again, be sure to check for antenna information in the libraries on the target machine to be sure the right antenna is associated with each of the imported facilities. More information about finding the library and pointer information in Fixed Facility records is described in the article about importing facility records from external data sources.

The following list shows the files associated with the different databases and libraries in TAP. Most of the databases consist of multiple files (such as a .DBF file and a .CDX index). Always be sure to copy all the files with the same name and different extents to the target machine. (In some cases, the .INF "information" file may not be present.)

Database	Folder	Files	Comments
Fixed Facility	SYSTEM	SWFAC_FX.DBF SWFAC_FX.CDX SWFAC_FX.INF	Links to Antenna and Line libraries With TAP 6.0.2245 and later (July 2008) these index files are no longer used and should be removed from your TAP SYSTEM folder.
Location	SYSTEM	SWLOC_ST.DBF SWLOC_ST.CDX SWLOC_ST.INF	With TAP6 the Location database is no longer used, but can be imported into the Fixed Facility database in TAP5 for use in TAP6.
Mobile Facility	SYSTEM	SWFAC_MB.DBF SWFAC_MB.CDX SWFAC_MB.INF	Links to Line libraries With TAP 6.0.2245 and later (July 2008) these index files are no longer used and should be removed from your TAP SYSTEM folder.
Antennas	ANTENNAS	AHD?????.DBF AHD?????.CDX AHD?????.INF AMS?????.DBF AMS?????.CDX AMS?????.INF AVD?????.DBF AVD?????.CDX AVD?????.INF	AHD – hor patterns AMS – mfg info AVD – ver patterns
Transmission Lines	LINES	LND?????.DBF LND?????.CDX LND?????.INF LMS?????.DBF LMS?????.CDX LMS?????.INF	LND – loss data LMS – mfg info
Area Coverage Studies Composite Coverage Studies Intermod Studies	SYSTEM WORK	SWTASKS.DBF SWTASKS.CDX SWTASKS.INF Entire folder with all files	Task Data With TAP 6.0.2245 and later (July 2008) these index files are no longer used and should be removed from your TAP SYSTEM folder.