Database/Drivers/MySQL Native/Beta

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Introduction

MySQL Connector/OpenOffice.org is a MySQL driver for OpenOffice.org. It can be used to connect from OpenOffice.org 3.1 to a MySQL server 5.1 or newer.

Before MySQL Connector/OpenOffice.org became available you'd have to use MySQL Connector/J (JDBC) or MySQL Connector/ODBC to connect to a MySQL server.

Therefore the driver is also referred to as a native driver in the context of OpenOffice.org. The term native driver clashes with the MySQL definition of a native driver. MySQL Connector/OpenOffice.org does not implement the MySQL Client Server protocol. Technically speaking the MySQL Connector/OpenOffice.org is implemented as a proxy on top of the MySQL Connector/C++.

The driver is delivered as an OpenOffice.org extension.

Advantages

Using MySQL Connector/OpenOffice.org has the following advantages:

  • Easy installation through the OpenOffice.org Extension Manager.
  • Seamless integration into OpenOffice.org.
  • No need to go through an additional Connector installation routine (ODBC/JDBC)
  • No need to configure or register an additional Connector (ODBC)
  • No need to install or configure a driver manager (ODBC)

Status

Please note, the MySQL Connector/OpenOffice.org is released as an alpha version. We do not recommend using the driver in production environments or systems with critical data. Please note, official support is not available.

Installation

Install or upgrade to OpenOffice.org 3.1

OpenOffice.org 3.1 is available from OpenOffice.org's download site. The driver does not work together with any other OpenOffice.org version.

Caution: The installation wizard of OpenOffice.org 3.1 will remove older OpenOffice.org installations from your system by default. If you do not want this, check out for the corresponding settings of the installation wizard.

Download MySQL Connector/OpenOffice.org

The alpha version is available as a QA build from ftp://qa-upload.services.openoffice.org/MySQLNative/ -

The extension is available for the following platforms:

Save the download to a location of your choice, for example My Documents or ~/Documents.

Installing the extension

Add the .oxt extension through the Extension Manager of OpenOffice.org. In OpenOffice.org, select Tools, Extension Manager... and specify the .oxt file as a new extension. When done, MySQL Connector/OpenOffice.org should show up as a new extension under My Extensions.


File:Conn ooo alpha extensions.jpg

Restart OpenOffice.org to complete the installation.

Getting Started: Connecting to MySQL

MySQL Connector/OpenOffice.org allows you to access the MySQL Server and its schemata from the OpenOffice.org suite.

The following example demonstrates the creation of a new OpenOffice.org Base database which uses a local MySQL Server for storage and the new connector for connecting.

Select the database

Create a new database (File, New, Database). This starts a wizard that allows you to create a new, open an existing, or connect to existing database. Select the latter option.

From the drop-down list, select MySQL. Click Next >>.

File:Conn ooo alpha wizard1.jpg

Select the type of the driver

You can use three different MySQL drivers for connecting to MySQL from OpenOffice.org. You can choose a generic ODBC or JDBC connection method or the native driver. Select Connect native. Click Next >>.

File:Conn ooo alpha wizard2.jpg

Setting up the database connection

Set up the database connection. Put the schema (database) you want to connect to into Name of the database. Enter the URL (host name), Port and Socket of your MySQL Server. Click Next >>.

File:Conn ooo alpha wizard3.jpg

Fill in user credentials

Provide the user credentials for connecting to your MySQL Server. Click Next >>.

File:Conn ooo alpha wizard4.jpg

Save and proceed

Finish the wizard. All defaults are a safe choice. Click Finish >>.

File:Conn ooo alpha wizard5.jpg

Getting Started: Usage Examples

Listing Tables

In the Database area of the Base main window, select Tables. If this is the first time you're accessing the database you'll be prompted for your credentials (username and password); you can store these settings for your current Base session.

File:Conn ooo alpha base.jpg

Depending on your connection settings you will now see all databases with all their tables, or just the database you've specified in the connection settings.


Known Bugs

If you discover a bug in Connector/OpenOffice.org please send an email to users@dba.openoffice.org.

Contact

To discuss the new MySQL Connector/OpenOffice.org, please subscribe to the mailing list users@dba.openoffice.org. It is a low-volume list with less than 10 mails per day.

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