Extract text from 4D database structure files (4DB)
To convert 4DB structure files to another format, you need 4D or other Database software.
To convert other file formats to the "Relational Database File" file type, you need software like 4D or a similar tool.
A .4DB file is a proprietary database structure or data file created by the 4D (formerly 4th Dimension) relational database management system. It is primarily used by developers and enterprise systems to store database schema definitions, configurations, and occasionally raw data for custom business applications.
The main disadvantage of the .4DB format is its strictly proprietary nature. It requires specialized, commercial 4D software to open, which often involves expensive licensing. Because the internal binary structure is undocumented and unique to the 4D ecosystem, standard text editors, web browsers, and generic database tools like SQLite or MySQL cannot read or interact with it. Users are entirely locked into the vendor's environment.
Users typically need to convert .4DB files to migrate their legacy systems to open standards like SQL, CSV, or XML. However, this file format is notoriously difficult to open or convert externally. Standard online converters almost always fail because they lack the proprietary 4D engine necessary to parse the relational links and internal data structures.
Often, only the original 4D software can properly read or export the data without losing relational integrity. Despite these limitations, convert.guru can still help. Drag and drop your .4DB file into our tool to identify the format version, inspect the raw binary file, and view any unencrypted text strings. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format, viewing or partial conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your 4DB file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted 4QR, 4ST and 4DF files.
If you want to convert 4DB file to JS, TS, PY, JAVA, CPP, C, CS, PHP, RB, GO, RS or SWIFT, you can use 4D or similar software from the "Relational Database Structure Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert SH, PY, KT, PS1, SWIFT, LUA, PL, JAVA, SCALA, JS, VBS or TS files to 4DB, try 4D or another comparable tool in the "Relational Database Structure Storage" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our 4DB converter.