After the core installation, you must manually add the BDE components to your RAD Studio IDE's Tool Palette to see and use them in your projects. To do this:
(or the specific version of Delphi/C++Builder) already installed on your system before running the BDE installer. Components
Sometimes the installer puts the DLLs in place but doesn’t add the components to the palette. If TDatabase , TTable , or TQuery are missing:
After installation, you need to configure the BDE aliases and paths so your application can find its database files.
Legacy apps often run out of memory when processing large datasets on modern hardware. In , go to Configuration > System > INIT . Find SHAREDMEMSIZE . Change the value from 2048 to 4096 or 8192 . Save and restart your application. Migrating from BDE to FireDAC BDE Installer For RAD Studio- Delphi- C Builder 10.2 Tokyo
The wizard will automatically detect your 10.2 Tokyo installation paths.
You must run the installer with administrative rights to allow it to modify the Windows Registry and add components to the IDE. Step-by-Step Guide: Downloading and Installing the BDE
Start moving those TTable components to FireDAC (which is built into 10.2 Tokyo) or a modern ORM. The BDE Installer is a bridge, not a destination.
This decision was not made lightly. Modern data access frameworks like FireDAC, which is now the preferred and actively developed technology within RAD Studio, offer significant advantages, including full Unicode support, high-performance direct access to databases, and support for modern 64-bit and mobile platforms. After the core installation, you must manually add
Step-by-Step: How to Download and Install the BDE for 10.2 Tokyo
The BDE was designed for older versions of Windows. Running it on Windows 10 or Windows 11 requires manual adjustments to prevent errors. Fixing Permission Errors ($210D Error)
Simply copying idapi32.dll or blw32.dll to the target machine is unreliable and frequently breaks.
Crucially, the standard installer automatically add the BDE components to your IDE's Tool Palette. You must complete this step to use them in your applications. If TDatabase , TTable , or TQuery are
Because the BDE is a restricted download for registered users, you cannot find it on public file-sharing sites. Follow these exact steps to install it safely: Step 1: Download the Official Installer
Because the BDE is deprecated, the installer is hosted exclusively on the Embarcadero Quality Portal and Registered Users Download portal. Step-by-Step Download Instructions
While the installation is straightforward, developers often encounter a few common issues. This section addresses them and discusses important factors like license verification, the crucial decision between maintaining BDE or migrating to modern alternatives, and the top benefits of making the switch to FireDAC.
Click and navigate to your RAD Studio installation's \bin folder (typically C:\Program Files (x86)\Embarcadero\Studio\19.0\bin ).
A common "gotcha" is that the installer might not automatically add the components to your Tool Palette. You often have to manually add dclbde250.bpl (the version specific to Tokyo) via Component > Install Packages to see TTable and TQuery again.
: Execute the downloaded file with administrator privileges.