MELJUN CORTES Object-Oriented Base

MELJUN CORTESMELJUN CORTES

DATABASE TOOLBAR

OBJECT

TAB

MENU BARTITLE BAR

DATABASE TOOLBAR

COMMAND

BUTTON

OBJECT LIST

is stored in tables. As an example, your system address book that you use for your e-mail addresses is a table of the address book database. Each address is a data record, presented as a row in that table. The data records consist of data fields, for example the first and the last name fields and the e-mail field.

Data

Working with TablesWorking with Tables

In OpenOffice.org you can create a new table using the Table Wizard:

•Open the database file where you want to create the new table.

•In the left pane of the database window, click the Tables icon.

•Click Use Wizard to Create Table.

Creating a New Table With the Table Wizard

Creating a New Table With the Design View

Open the database file where you want to create the new table.

In the left pane of the database window, click the Tables icon.

Click Create Table in Design View.

Some database types support table views. A table view is a query that is stored with the database. For most database operations, a view can be used as you would use a table.

Open the database file where you want to create the new table view.

In the left pane of the database window, click the Tables icon.

Click Create Table View.

Creating a New Table View

Table Definition Area

Specifies the name of the data field. Note the database

restrictions, such as the length of the name, special characters and

spaces.

Field Name

Specifies the field type.

Field type

Specifies an optional description.The row headers contain the

following context menu commands:

Description

Defines the field properties of the currently selected field.

Field properties

Field Name

Navigation Button

Record Selector

Click here to select all records

Click here to select a column

Data Sheet data from a table, query, displayed in a row-and-column format.

Working with QueriesWorking with Queries

If you often want to access only a subset of your data that can be well defined by a filter condition, you can define a query. This is basically a name for the new view at the filtered data. You open the query and see the current data in the table layout that you defined.

• To create a query, click the Queries icon in a database document, then click Create Query in Design View.

The lower pane of the Design View is where you define the query.

• To define a query, specify the database field names to include and the criteria for displaying the fields.

• To rearrange the columns in the lower pane of the Design View, drag a column header to a new location, or select the column and press Ctrl+arrow key.

• In the top of the query Design View window, the icons of the Query Design Bar and the Design bar are displayed.

Creating Query using Design View

• If you want to test a query, double-click the query name in the database document. The query result is displayed in a table similar to the Data Source View. Note: the table displayed is only temporary.

Keys in Query Design View

Creating Query using Design View

Key Function

F4 Preview

F5 Run Query

F7 Add Table or Query

Working with FormsWorking with Forms

Using forms, you can define how to present the data. Open a text document or a spreadsheet and insert the controls such as push buttons and list boxes. In the properties dialogs of the controls, you can define what data the forms should display.

In OpenOffice.org, you can create a new form using the Form Wizard:

•Open the database file where you want to create the new form.

•In the left pane of the database window, click the Forms icon.

•Click Use Wizard to Create Form.

Creating a New Form With the Form Wizard

Open the database file where you want to create the new form.

In the left pane of the database window, click the Forms icon.

Click Create Form in Design View.

A new text document opens. Use the Form Controls to insert form controls.

Creating a New Form Manually

Cont.

Click the Forms icon to access all forms that were created from within the current database window. In addition, you can use the Form Controls icons to add database form controls to any Writer or Calc document, but these documents will not be listed in the database window.

Working with ReportsWorking with Reports

•A report is a Writer text document that can show your data in an organized order and formatting. •In OpenOffice.org Base, you have a choice to create a report either manually using drag-and-drop in the Report Builder window, or semi-automatic by following a series of dialogs in the Report Wizard. •The following list gives you some information to decide which method to use for your data:

Report Builder Report Wizard

Started by "Create Report in Design View" command.

Started by "Use Wizard to Create Report" command.

Full flexibility to use report headers and footers, page headers and footers, multi-column reports.

Uses a Writer template to generate a report document.

Use drag-and-drop to position the record fields or other design elements like pictures or lines.

Select from several given choices to arrange the data records.

Generates a one-time snapshot of the data. To see an updated report, execute the same report again to create a Writer document with the updated data.

You can choose to generate a one-time snapshot with fixed data, or a "live" report with links to the current data at the time when you open the Base file.

Saves the report as a Writer text document. Stores the information how to create the report inside the Base file.

Saves the report and the information how to create the report inside the Base file.

Choose Open in the context menu or double-click the report name to create a new report with the current data.

Choose Open in the context menu or double-click the report name to either see again the static snapshot of the data from first creation time, or to create a new report with the current data. This depends on your choice on the last page of the wizard.

Choose Edit in the context menu of a report name to open the Report Builder window, with the report's information loaded.

Choose Edit in the context menu of a report name to edit the Writer template file that was used to create the report.

•Open the database file where you want to create the new report.

•In the left pane of the database window, click the Reports icon.

•Click Create Report in Design View.

•Follow the instructions in the Report Builder guide.

Creating a New Report Manually In Design View

Open the database file where you want to create the new report.

In the left pane of the database window, click the Reports icon.

Click Use Wizard to Create Report.

Follow the steps of the Report Wizard to create the report.

Creating a New Report With the Report Wizard