OpenOffice database question...

flyingcheesehead

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Is it possible to have the database structure and its data separate? I'd like to develop a system to keep track of the loads I haul, customers I've been to, etc. but I'd like to share it with a friend. When I come up with new forms, views, whatever I'd like to be able to share them with him, but obviously he'll have his data and I'll have mine.

How do I do this?
 
Just write an iPhone app to do it-- Mr. iPhone app developer guy.
 
Is it possible to have the database structure and its data separate? I'd like to develop a system to keep track of the loads I haul, customers I've been to, etc. but I'd like to share it with a friend. When I come up with new forms, views, whatever I'd like to be able to share them with him, but obviously he'll have his data and I'll have mine.

How do I do this?

I know its not the answer you're looking for, but ooo database is more difficult to do this kind of stuff than Access is, and it feels like it was added only to have a way to compete with the whole suite of MS Office.

Best answer? MySQL, honestly
 
Just write an iPhone app to do it-- Mr. iPhone app developer guy.

My friend doesn't have an iPhone, and the kind of system I want really doesn't lend itself to use on an iPhone. :no:

I know its not the answer you're looking for, but ooo database is more difficult to do this kind of stuff than Access is, and it feels like it was added only to have a way to compete with the whole suite of MS Office.

Best answer? MySQL, honestly

Well... No Access on a Mac (and I hate M$ resource-hogging crap software). Oh, and I have a Mac and my friend has a PC. What are the cross-platform options?

Is splitting the structure and the data even possible using OOo?
 
You can run MySql locally on the Mac.

Get few dollar a month virtual web host and run it on the web for sharing. Just export/import the tables.
 
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Does MySQL require some sort of web hosting software (IIS, Apache, etc.) or does it run natively on any OS?
 
The database itself runs natively on about any OS. But it is just the database. You'll need some kind of front for it to be usable...unless you intend on inserting and viewing/managing all your data with SQL queries.
 
The database itself runs natively on about any OS. But it is just the database. You'll need some kind of front for it to be usable...unless you intend on inserting and viewing/managing all your data with SQL queries.

And there are GUI admin tools in the MySQL package and elsewhere that will serve as a easier to use front end for the SQL commands.
 

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And there are GUI admin tools in the MySQL package and elsewhere that will serve as a easier to use front end for the SQL commands.
Yeah..but if you're using proper database structure -- the raw tables themselves would make a very poor interface for viewing your data. It should all be normalized and using joins and whatnot..you really need another interface.
 
This is starting to sound hard. When the solution to a simple problem is complex, it ceases to be worthwhile.

I don't want to have to go back to my hard-core geek days just to get a silly little database with maybe 4 tables working and using two different data sets. As in, I want someone else to have already written the GUI, for example, ooo. Is this not possible? :dunno:
 
This is starting to sound hard. When the solution to a simple problem is complex, it ceases to be worthwhile.

I don't want to have to go back to my hard-core geek days just to get a silly little database with maybe 4 tables working and using two different data sets. As in, I want someone else to have already written the GUI, for example, ooo. Is this not possible? :dunno:

I think Nick already tossed the "best" option out there: The only "I want to spend 10 minutes developing a simple front-end for my simple DB" app I know of (without looking into it) is Access -- and it probably would take you about 10 minutes. The only technical roadblock there is that I'm not sure if Access files are portable between Mac and Windows.

But then if Microsoft is a deal-breaker anyway, I suppose that doesn't really matter in the first place.
 
I think Nick already tossed the "best" option out there: The only "I want to spend 10 minutes developing a simple front-end for my simple DB" app I know of (without looking into it) is Access -- and it probably would take you about 10 minutes. The only technical roadblock there is that I'm not sure if Access files are portable between Mac and Windows.

But then if Microsoft is a deal-breaker anyway, I suppose that doesn't really matter in the first place.

There is no Access on Mac at all. :no:
 
This is starting to sound hard. When the solution to a simple problem is complex, it ceases to be worthwhile.

I don't want to have to go back to my hard-core geek days just to get a silly little database with maybe 4 tables working and using two different data sets. As in, I want someone else to have already written the GUI, for example, ooo. Is this not possible? :dunno:

When I get home tonight, I'll much around with ooo database and see if this is possible.

To make sure I understand, you want to have a dataset that is movable between two computers?
 
Your answer lies here:
openoffice.org said:
So - now let's look at Base. OpenOffie.org Base is fundamentally and
architecturally different from MS Access in regards to the database
engine used. MS Access pre 2007 always has the MS Jet database engine
involved, even if you are 'linking through' to a SQL Server database.
That is the old *.mdb file architcture. In the latest versions of MS
Access using the *.accdb file type the engine is no longer MS Jet but
still it is a single engine that so long as a accdb file is used is
being utilized.

Base on the other hand is, the ODB file in other words, to directly
employ a connection to a database of your choice. As a convenience
almost one of these database engines is the HSQLdb RDBMS distributed
with OpenOffice.org and capable of storing its tables embedded in the
ODB file. But fundamentally Base is treating this as just another option
for a database engine - so you could just as easily be using the HSQLdb
database engine running in disk file mode, with the data stored in
separate files in a directory, or running as a network accessible shared
'server'. You can also use it to connect to any JDBC or ODBC or ADO
capable database engine.

When you use Base then to 'connect' to one of these network accessible
database engines ( which could be on your localhost actually ) the ODB
file is in reality filling the same role as the MDE file is in the MS
Access deployment model. In other words it allows you to store the
Forms, Queries, Reports and beginning with OpenOffice.or 3.0 script
libraries directly within the file. With the current OpenOffice.org
version ( and 3.0 still if you like ) you would store your scripts in
separate, sharable library files.

In this multi user deployment of Base then you would want to place a
copy of this ODB file on each PC that would be using the database
application. Again this is analogous to the recommended deployment
scheme for MS Access and again this also offers the ability then for
each user to create their own local copies of queries and reports along
with the supplied pre-built forms, queries and reports.

There is a one difference however - and it is that when that *.mdb or
*.accb file on the file share is used by the different *.mde files there
is an intermediary database engine being used ( MS Jet for instance )
but when you deploy ODB files on multiple machines connecting to a
networked database server the connection is direct - no middle step for
the data to take.

That is to say - "Disk File Mode", wherever that is, is what you're looking for.
 
I believe you can create your oodb then copy it and delete all the records and give that to your friend.

Joe
 
I believe you can create your oodb then copy it and delete all the records and give that to your friend.

Joe

That works the first time.

Kent wants to be able to give his friend a schema and forms update, later, while retaining his friend's data and not giving his friend a copy of his data.
 
That works the first time.

Kent wants to be able to give his friend a schema and forms update, later, while retaining his friend's data and not giving his friend a copy of his data.

Bingo! :yes:

Nick, sounds like you might have it - Thanks!
 
And there are GUI admin tools in the MySQL package and elsewhere that will serve as a easier to use front end for the SQL commands.

You owe me a new keyboard with that little cartoon...coffee out the nose is very uncomfortable.
 
OK...to address this issue,

Why not keep the data in MySQL and the forms in OOO?

Then you simply link in tables from MySQL as an "external" database. Want to give him a new set of forms, just copy a new OOO file, the data's not in there to start with.
 
OK...to address this issue,

Why not keep the data in MySQL and the forms in OOO?

Then you simply link in tables from MySQL as an "external" database. Want to give him a new set of forms, just copy a new OOO file, the data's not in there to start with.

Exactly; that's what Nick's "quoted website" above said in a very geekish, convoluted way. They could have condensed most all of that down to your beautifully succinct sentence.
 
Exactly; that's what Nick's "quoted website" above said in a very geekish, convoluted way. They could have condensed most all of that down to your beautifully succinct sentence.
But it's computer. If it weren't GEEK, everyone could do it.
 
As much as I love MySQL -- that'd be over-kill for this. I'd stick with their HQSQLdb -- to avoid having to run an entire service dedicated to the database on your system.
 
Well, I might, but holy crap, I can't find that anywhere. My spidey sense tells me its called something else with the newer versions of OOo.
What can't you find?

Haven't done anything with HSQLDB or OpenOffice Base, but looking at hsqldb.org and openoffice.org, I believe that HSQLDB 1.8.0 has been included with OpenOffice 2.0 through 3.1.

And HSQLDB 1.8.0 has been out for 4 years and is distributed with many open-source and commercial products. It is also the database engine in OpenOffice.org 3.1, used on millions of desktops around the world.

Documentation at http://documentation.openoffice.org/manuals/userguide3/0108GS3-GettingStartedWithBase.pdf

They also refer to the documentation at hsqldb.org.

Note this from the OpenOffice manual:
OOo Base uses the HSQL database engine. All of the files
created by this engine are kept in one zipped file. The database
forms are included in this zipped file.
Here's the documentation:
http://hsqldb.org/doc/guide/apd.html
(from here: http://hsqldb.org/web/hsqlDocsFrame.html)
 
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