Getting started with OpenOffice Base

Chapter 1

The working environment

This chapter shows the working environment with its menu groups and different features.

1.1 At Startup

As soon as the OpenOffice application is installed on your computer, a menu appears offering different available modules (figure 1.1).

Figure 1.1 : Starting the OpenOffice application

You can work with the spreadsheet CALC, the word processing WRITER, the slides management system IMPRESS, a DRAWING application for making drawings and a tool for manipulating mathematical formulas. Everything is programmable with the BASIC language integrated in each module.

When the database module is started, a wizard takes over and several dialogues are proposed to create a database. Figure 1.2 shows the first step.

Figure 1.2 : Creating a database

If you press the Finish button, OpenOffice will ask you to enter a database name, then the working environment will be displayed.

Figure 1.3 shows this environment.

Figure 1.3 : The BASE working environment

If you choose Connect to an existing database, instead of Create a new database, OpenOffice will display a list with several database drivers which are adaptor programs required for making a connection to other systems of different types.

Figure 1.4 : Database drivers

The default driver is HSQL database engine. HSQL DB or HyperSQL DataBase is a SQL relational database system written in Java.

1.2 What is a database?

In the workplace, most people use spreadsheets that enable them to enter numbers and formulas. This numerical data is placed in cells within a group of columns and rows. When it comes to manipulating numerical or even alphabetical values in columns, the spreadsheet is the ideal