Extract text from ADD files
To convert your ADD file to another format, you need Advantage Database Server or other Database software.
To convert other file formats to the "Data Dictionary File" file type, you need software like Advantage Database Server or a similar tool.
The .ADD file extension is most critically utilized as an Advantage Data Dictionary file, a central component of the Advantage Database Server (now maintained by SAP). Unlike standard data files that store rows and columns (typically found in ADT or DBF formats), the .ADD file acts as the brain of the database system. It enforces referential integrity, stores security permissions, defines field constraints, and manages relations between tables. Because it contains binary metadata rather than raw data, users cannot simply double-click to open these files in Microsoft Excel or standard text editors. This proprietary lock-in often forces administrators to install the heavy Advantage Data Architect utility just to view a schema.
For database professionals, the primary conversion need is extracting this schema structure into portable formats. Converting .ADD to SQL scripts allows for database migration to modern systems like PostgreSQL or SQL Server. Alternatively, converting the dictionary properties to PDF or HTML is essential for creating technical documentation and archiving system architecture without maintaining the original server environment.
A significant minority of .ADD files are legacy Address Books from discontinued or older software versions, such as IBM OS/2 or Corel WordPerfect. In these cases, the file contains contact details (names, addresses, phone numbers) trapped in an obsolete structure. The ideal conversion path for these files is to CSV (Comma Separated Values) or vCard (VCF), which enables immediate import into modern contact managers like Outlook, Gmail, or mobile devices.
Convert.Guru analyzes your ADD file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted NSP, PDM, BPB and PDF files.
If you want to convert ADD file to PDF, TMP, TEMP, CACHE, LOG, BAK, OLD, NEW, PART, DOWNLOAD, CRDOWNLOAD or LOCK, you can use Advantage Database Server or similar software from the "Database Schema Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DEVICE, CACHE, SOCK, SYMLINK, PID, MOUNT, FIFO, LOG, PIPE, TMP, JUNCTION or TEMP files to ADD, try Advantage Database Server or another comparable tool in the "Database Schema 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 ADD converter.