Creating a New Database

Getting Started with OpenOffice 4

Chapter 7: Getting Started with Base

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• What is Base?
• Planning a database
• Creating a new database
• Creating database tables
  • Using the wizard to create a table
  • Creating a table by copying an existing table
  • Creating tables in design view
  • Creating auxiliary tables for data entry
• Defining relationships
• Creating a database form
  • Using the wizard to create a simple form
  • Using the wizard to make a form with a subform
  • Laying out a form with multiple controls
  • Creating forms and subforms in design view
• Accessing other data sources
• Using data sources in Apache OpenOffice
• Creating queries
  • Using the wizard to create a query
  • Using the design view to create a query
  • Make a query with a calculated field
  • Query with two related tables
  • Query that summarizes data
  • Query summarizing over a calculated field
• Creating reports
  • Simple static report
  • Grouped dynamic report

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Creating a New Database

To begin the process of making the example database, we will make a new Base file with the default configuration of embedded HSQL tables. Choose File → New → Database from the menu bar, or click the arrow next to the New icon on the Standard toolbar and select Database from the drop-down menu. Both methods open the Database Wizard.

On the first page of the Database Wizard, select Create a new database and then click  Next .

The second page has two questions. Make sure the choice for the first question is Yes, register the database for me and the choice for the second question is Open the database for editing. Click  Finish .

If the database is not registered, it will not be accessible to the other AOO components such as Writer and Calc. If the database is registered, other components can access it. Registering the database only informs your local OpenOffice program that this Base file exists. No information is sent to any other program or outside your computer.

Save the new database with the name Finance. This opens the Finance – OpenOffice Base window. Figure 160 shows part of this window.

Figure 160: Creating database tables

Every time the Finance Base file is opened, the Finance – OpenOffice Base window opens. Changes can then be made to the database. The title for this window is always <database name> – OpenOffice Base.

As you create a database, you should save your work regularly. This means more than just saving what you have just created. You must save the whole database as well. For some common tasks, Base opens a separate document window where you may, for example, design a Form to enter data. Saving the document in that window saves the Form inside the Base document, but you should then also save the Base document from its main window.