Ashton-Tate was a software company founded in 1980, best known for its database management system called dBase. This product became popular in the 1980s and was widely used for business applications, allowing users to create and manage databases efficiently. The company played a significant role in the early development of personal computing software. In 1991, Ashton-Tate was acquired by Borland, which aimed to expand its software offerings. Despite its initial success, the rise of competing database systems led to a decline in Ashton-Tate's prominence in the software industry.