Microsoft Works Database
From Just Solve the File Format Problem
Microsoft Works Database is the native database format of the Microsoft Works office suite.
See Microsoft Works for more information and resources.
Identifiers
Format | Version | Ext. | PRONOM |
---|---|---|---|
Microsoft Works Database for DOS | 1.05 | .wdb | fmt/169 |
Microsoft Works Database for DOS | 1.12 | .wdb | fmt/170 |
Microsoft Works Database for DOS | 2.0 | .wdb | fmt/171 |
Microsoft Works Database for DOS | 3 | .wdb | fmt/259 |
Microsoft Works Database for DOS | 3a | .wdb | fmt/260 |
Microsoft Works Database for DOS | 3b | .wdb | fmt/261 |
Microsoft Works Database for Windows | 2.0 | .wdb | fmt/219 |
Microsoft Works Database for Windows | 2.0a | .wdb | fmt/222 |
Microsoft Works Database for Windows | 3.0 | .wdb | fmt/223 |
Microsoft Works Database for Windows | 3.0a | .wdb | fmt/224 |
Microsoft Works Database for Windows | 3.0b | .wdb | fmt/225 |
Microsoft Works Database for Windows | 4.0 | .wdb | fmt/226 |
Microsoft Works Database for Windows | 4.0a | .wdb | fmt/246 |
Microsoft Works Database for Windows | 4.5 | .wdb | fmt/249 |
Microsoft Works Database for Windows | 4.5a | .wdb | fmt/252 |
Microsoft Works Database for Windows | 2000 | .wdb | fmt/256 |
Microsoft Works Database for Macintosh | 3 | .wdb | fmt/268 |
Microsoft Works Database for Macintosh | 4 | .wdb | fmt/269 |
Microsoft Works Database [backup file] | .bdb | x-fmt/344 |
Identification
Some or all early WDB files begin with (hex) 20 54 02 00 00 00 05 54 02 00
.
Later versions are based on Microsoft Compound File format. The root CLSID {00021303-0000-0000-c000-000000000046} has been observed.
Links
- A partial parser is available here: https://bitbucket.org/jesseweinstein/sundry-python-stuff/src/82df96b0efd6acd144d39a18c6a244dced577664/msworks.py?at=master
- Documentation of the format (based on the parser above) is at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:JesseW/wdb_format
- Another parser is available here (written in Java): http://www.codealchemists.com/worksdatabaseconverter/