Extract text from DBA files
To convert your DBA file to another format, you need Palm Desktop or other Database software.
To convert other file formats to the "Legacy Archive" file type, you need software like Palm Desktop or a similar tool.
The .dba extension is a classic example of a filename collision, utilized by completely different software ecosystems for disparate purposes. Most commonly in legacy archiving contexts, it represents a Palm DateBook Archive, a backup file generated by Palm Desktop to store calendar events, appointments, and scheduling data from Palm OS PDAs. These files are proprietary binary containers; without the obsolete Palm Desktop software, your personal history is effectively locked away, inaccessible to modern tools like Microsoft Outlook or Google Calendar. Users frequently need to convert these archives to CSV (Comma Separated Values) or ICS (iCalendar) formats to migrate 1990s/2000s schedules into modern workflows.
Alternatively, in the game development sector, a .dba file often serves as a CryEngine Animation Database. Used by the CryEngine game engine, these files compile animation definitions and directory paths into a single binary resource for efficient runtime loading. They are not meant for manual editing; attempting to modify them without the official CryEngine Sandbox Editor usually results in corruption. Another variation exists for DarkBASIC Professional, where the .dba file functions as plain text source code. While DarkBASIC files are technically human-readable, opening them in a standard text editor requires changing the extension to TXT manually. Other less common uses include SQLite databases or Microsoft Jet DBs. Because the format varies so wildly - from plain text code to complex binary game assets or legacy calendar databases - the first step in conversion is identifying the file header. For Palm archives, the goal is data extraction (CSV/ICS); for DarkBASIC, it is readability (TXT/CPP); and for CryEngine, it is usually asset decompilation, though this is often restricted by engine licensing.
Convert.Guru analyzes your DBA file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted DATABASE, DB, BAK, DBPRO, G, CIA, LLC, PHD, DBC and NC files.
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 DBA converter.