Miscellaneous Database Tips

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Revision as of 16:30, 23 October 2008 (edit) Lorinda (Talk | contribs) (→dbf import tip - add instructions for connecting and dbf converter issues) ← Previous diff		Current revision (06:58, 28 February 2009) (edit) (undo) Sardisson (Talk | contribs) (redirect this to the new MS Access page, since that's why we linked to this page most of the time)
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-	{{fixme}}	+	#redirect [[Working with Microsoft Access databases]]
-	<!--These tips are copied from the old Configuring and Using Databases page-->	+
-	The following are miscellaneous database-related tips which currently do not have enough content to warrant a full article and which have no other home.	+
-		+
-	==dbf import tip==	+
-	===Connecting to dbf files in Base===	+
-	You can use Base to connect to one or more dbf files.	+
-	#Go to the {{Menu|File}} menu and choose {{Menu|New}} and then {{Menu|Database}}	+
-	#In the first pane of the {{Window|Database Wizard}}, Choose {{prefName|Connect to an Existing Database}}	+
-	#Set the drop-down to {{prefName|dBase}}	+
-	#Click {{Button|Next>>}}	+
-	#In the next pane, click on the {{Button|Browse}} button	+
-	#Navigate to the '''folder''' in which the dbf files are found	+
-	#*You cannot choose a file, you must select a folder.	+
-	#Click {{Button|Open}}	+
-	#Click {{Button|Next>>}}	+
-	#In the {{Section|Save and Proceed}} pane, select the settings as desired	+
-	#Click on {{Button|Finish}}	+
-		+
-		+
-	===importing into Calc===	+
-	The table structure of the dbf file for all the fields	+
-	containing leading apostrophes say they are characters. This can easily seen if	+
-	you import the DBF file and look at the first row. All columns have a header	+
-	defining it. C is for characters (text), N would be numeric.	+
-		+
-	So Calc imports the values correctly as Characters. As the number format for the	+
-	default template is set to numeric, a apostrophe is placed in front of the	+
-	value to make it a text.	+
-		+
-	To change such text values to real numeric values, you have several choices:	+
-		+
-	They are described in [[Converting a Text String to a Number in Calc|this article]] in NeoWiki.	+
-		+
-	You can also change the field setting in the DBF from C to N and re-import the file.	+
-	<!--* use the Search and replace functionality.	+
-	*#Open the search and replace dialog and enter '.*' (without the quotes) into the search field.	+
-	*# Type '&' (also without quotes) into the replace field.	+
-	*# Now press on the {{button|More}} button and click the option {{prefName|Regular expression}}.	+
-	*# Click on {{button|Replace All}} and all the apostrophes should be gone.	+
-	Left in comments, just in case…	+
-	-->	+
-		+
-	===Issues with DB2K files===	+
-	older dbf files in the DB2K format are not compatible with NeoOffice or OpenOffice.org. When the connection is made, most fields will show <OBJECT> for data in Base and #N/A in Calc. If you have a Windows machine available, the solution is to use the [http://www.dbf2002.com/dbf-converter/ dbf-converter] program to convert these files to dBase-IV format, which NeoOffice does support.	+
-		+
-	==MS Access-related tips==	+
-	Well, a lack of drivers will definitely cause files to not be openable. Anything that requires the MS ODBC bridges won't work for sure, including Access files.	+
-		+
-	An ODBC driver that works with MS Access on a Mac is the [http://www.actualtechnologies.com/product_access.php Actual] ODBC driver. It is a commercial one, but it works. The [http://www.mysql.com/products/tools/migration-toolkit/ MySQL Migration Toolkit] for the Mac can be found in the [http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/gui-tools/5.0.html MySQL GUI Tools Bundle] and can be used to move data from an MS Access database to a MySQL one (which NeoOffice will happily deal with). Other options are discussed on the [http://trinity.neooffice.org/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=23436#23436 Trinity forum].	+
-		+
-	==Related External Links==	+
-	*[http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/MSA-Base_Faq OOo wiki article on using Base to connect to Access]	+
-		+
-	{{botlangbarEN|[[Fr:Astuces diverses pour les Bases de Données|Français]]}}<!-- [[It:|Italiano]] [[Es:|Español]]}}-->	+
-		+
-	[[Category:NeoOffice]][[Category:Tips and Hints]]	+

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Current revision

1. redirect Working with Microsoft Access databases