DBA Classic FAQs

DBA Classic was our first product and was originally named “DBA Manufacturing.” It was introduced in 1992 as a DOS-based product and was converted to run on Windows in 1997.

When we introduced our current product, “DBA Manufacturing Next-Generation” in 2003, the original product was renamed “DBA Classic” so that it would not be confused with our new product.

We discontinued development of DBA Classic in 2002 and terminated technical support in 2006.

You are not required to transition to the Next-Gen product. The fact that Classic is no longer being developed or supported does not mean that it will cease functioning. You may continue to use Classic for as long as it functions on your hardware and network platform.

We discontinued technical support for Classic in 2006. If you need support for a technical problem, we suggest you perform a web search on “DBA Classic Support” to obtain a listing of third parties who continue to provide support services for DBA Classic.

Additional user licenses for Classic are still available and qualify for free matching Next-Gen users, should you someday transition to the new product.

Many DBA Classic customers are on very old versions of the Pervasive database (2000i or V8) that may not function properly with the current Servers and PCs on the market (Windows 7, Windows 8, Server 2012, 64 Bit Machines, etc.). We have received reports from the field that DBA Classic will work in all of these environments, but will likely require an update of the Pervasive Database.

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Pervasive Upgrade Pricing

You are entitled to a free matching Next-Gen user for each Classic user license that you purchased from us. Therefore, there is no additional cost for software, unless you need to expand your user count.

This is not a simple update of Classic, but instead more like an implementation of a new system.   You will want to acquire a support subscription and plug into our proven Startup Wizard methodology.

Yes they do. Annual maintenance will not be applied to free matching users that correspond to Classic lifetime user licenses. Unlike Classic, where you received a long-term license key, with Next-Gen we email you a new key each year.

To get your free matching users, email us a request at accounting@dbasoftware.com. We will send you a license key by email. You’ll be able to download the free single-user evaluation system from our website. The license key converts the free single-user system into a multi-user system.

Our company has no involvement with EVO-ERP or any knowledge of its data tables or technical specifications.

If you use EVO-ERP or any other add-on product, you are still entitled to a free matching Next-Gen user license for each Classic user license you purchased from our company.

If you purchased EVO-ERP users without also purchasing users from us (which is not permitted by our license), those users do not qualify for free matching Next-Gen users.

Next-Gen is a totally different product that originated from a software package we acquired in 2003. Next-Gen is programmed in Delphi (instead of TAS) and uses the Firebird SQL database (instead of Pervasive).

Next-Gen and Classic offer similar modules, but the features and functionality within them are completely different.   The transition to Next Gen is not just a simple update.   It requires a complete implementation just like any new customer coming to DBA from an outside program.

Next-Gen has an abundance of features that were never available in Classic. You can evaluate Next-Gen by downloading our free evaluation system, which includes a video library. For a listing of Classic features that are not available in Next-Gen, see chapter 2 in the DBA Classic Conversion Guide.

DBA Classic Conversion Guide (PDF)
Download Free Evaluation System

The transition from Classic to Next Gen requires a completely new implementation of the program.  DBA Classic customers use the data transfer utility to export data to spreadsheets and then plug into the appropriate data import task in the Startup Wizard.   Classic customers use the same proven methodology of implementation that any new customer would use.

Classic to Next Gen Transition Video
DBA Classic Conversion Guide (PDF)

The DBATRAN utility can export master tables from Classic into Excel spreadsheets. From there, they are edited and imported into Next-Gen as specified by various tasks performed during the appropriate phase of the Startup Wizard for new customers.

Data transfer is not a “push button” process. Each master table is imported when called for within a specific implementation task, usually after prerequisite supporting tables are entered manually in advance.

Historical data cannot be transferred, nor can open orders or accounting balances. We recommend that you keep Classic on your network for historical reference purposes. Open orders and beginning account balances are entered manually just prior to system startup day, which is the day you cease using Classic and start operating exclusively in Next-Gen.

Refer to the DBA Classic Conversion Guide for complete details on the data transfer process.

DBA2NG.EXE Installation Program for DBATRAN
Pervasive 2000i SP4
Pervasive 2000i 'Hot Fix'

Any company willing to put in time and effort and is committed to following the steps in the Startup Wizard can get Next-Gen up and running on its own, backed by our support.

Be aware that this is a “transition” process, not a “conversion”. You will be implementing a completely new system, which means that you must go through the exact same implementation process that any company would undergo coming from any non-DBA system.