Extract text from ClientDataSet files (CDS)
To convert CDS datasets to another format, you need Embarcadero Delphi or other Database software.
To convert other file formats to the "ClientDataSet Data File" file type, you need software like Embarcadero Delphi or a similar tool.
The .cds file extension is most commonly associated with ClientDataSet data files used by Embarcadero Delphi and C++Builder. These files act as local, in-memory databases that store table data offline, allowing developers to manipulate data without a continuous server connection. Other uses for .cds include Cador accounting backups (which are standard ZIP archives under the hood), NCBI BLAST Coding DNA Sequence files, and PerkinElmer ChemDraw stylesheets.
The primary application for opening the standard database version of these files is a custom-built Delphi application utilizing the TClientDataSet component. There is no universally standard viewer for .cds files because they are tightly coupled with the Delphi programming ecosystem.
Users frequently struggle with .cds files because they are a proprietary, binary format. You cannot open a standard Delphi .cds file in Microsoft Excel or a text editor without seeing scrambled, unreadable characters. This lack of interoperability forces developers to write custom scripts to extract their own data. Furthermore, multiple programs use the .cds extension for entirely different purposes (like SQLite databases for Arbin battery tests or compressed archives for accounting), creating massive confusion when trying to open them.
To make the data usable in modern web applications, .cds files should be converted to XML, CSV, or JSON. Delphi developers often export the data to XML directly using built-in methods like SaveToFile with the dfXML parameter.
Because .cds is highly proprietary, standard online converters usually fail to process it. Often, only the original software can properly read or export the data. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format - such as a hidden ZIP or SQLite database - viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your CDS file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted CDSS, 00000002, 00000001, CR2, CDX, ZIP, JPG, CDR, SIG, PNG, PDF, WEBARCHIVE and EXE files.
If you want to convert CDS file to MP3, USB, FLAC, MPS, JSON, SVG, AI, EPS, PDF, JPG, CDR or WMF, you can use Embarcadero Delphi or similar software from the "Offline Database Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert AFPUB, EPS, FIG, VSD, SKETCH, VDX, AFPHOTO, PDF, AFDESIGN, SVG, VSDX or AI files to CDS, try Embarcadero Delphi or another comparable tool in the "Offline Database 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 CDS converter.