OpenOffice.org Base Component

The Flexible Database Component

BASE enables you to manipulate database data seamlessly within OpenOffice.org. Create and modify tables, forms, queries, and reports, either using your own database or BASE’s own built-in HSQL database engine. BASE offers a choice of using Wizards, Design Views, or SQL Views for beginners, intermediate, and advanced users.

Maintaining your data
With BASE, you can:

• Create new tables for your data - and also change them as your needs change
• Maintain indexes on the tables to make data access faster
• View a table in an editing grid and add, change, and delete records
• Use the Report Wizard to produce impressive reports from your data
• Use the Form Wizard to create 'instant' database applications

Using your data
Using BASE, you can not only browse your data, but also:

• Perform simple (single column) or complex (multi-column) sorts
• View subsets of your data with simple (one-click) or complex (logical query) filters
• Create powerful queries to show your data in new ways, including summaries and multi-table views
• Produce reports in a wide variety of formats using the Report AutoPilot

Technical footnotes
BASE includes a full version of the HSQL database engine, storing data in XML files. It can also access dBASE files natively for simple database work.

For more advanced requirements, BASE supports many popular databases database natively (Adabas D, ADO, Microsoft Access, MySQL), or any database through industry-standard ODBC and JDBC drivers. It also supports any LDAP compliant address book, as well as common formats such as Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Windows, and Mozilla.