MySQL

[The_Doc_Man]

Might have been, but the question came up that sidetracked it towards SQL Server. Here's the architecture of MySQL, which looks only slightly less complex.

MySQL Architecture and Layers - Qxf2 BLOG

This blog provides high level overview of MySQL Architecture and its componants

qxf2.com

I think the MySQL setup allows for multiple internal formats and again, you need to know something about the specific schema and files, or you can just run MySQL to read the files.

 

[Galaxiom]

Wasn't this thread about MySQL?

Yes but the same principle applies. A MySQL database engine is required to read the files. I assumed the links in posts 3 & 4 covered that back in 2021. Pat raised a related discussion. The BTW parts of threads can be quite interesting.

 

[561414]

Well, for what it's worth, here's yet another link, but to a portable MySQL server which needs no configuration, you run it and it starts the server and its services automatically. It's a 61MB file, so it's very convenient.
https://sourceforge.net/projects/usbwebserver/
I would have posted the tool's homepage but at the time of this post, I can't access it, they must be doing some maintenance.

In order to use it, you click on the phpmyadmin button and it opens your browser with phpmyadmin, a tool from which you can design your databases. Don't expect it to be as easy on the eyes as Access, but it's also not ugly.

I've developed extensively with this usb web server, so I can say it's really amazing. Give it a try, it can't get any easier. As for the thread's question about opening files, phpmyadmin's user interface lets you export the database or its individual tables in various formats, and it also allows you to import from different file formats. I mostly export/import *.sql and *.csv files.