OpenOffice.org and Databases

This chapter is just a small orientation to the whole section of stored data and what to do with it. Because of the disparity in how the stored data can be used, and where we hope you'll expect to find the instructions in this book, we've created this central clearing house sort of chapter to get you started.

In the beginning, Sun bought StarOffice and gave it out or sold it with StarBase, as well as Adabas D a relational database, and provided a means of creating databases, and sadly it was Bad. The interface was confusing, and mere mortals threw up their hands in horror and very sensibly used spreadsheets to store their data instead of databases.

But now there's a new data source setup interface, and no more StarBase which for most of us is probably just as well, and it's a whole lot easier and simpler to get stored data out of wherever it's stored and into where you need it, formatted the way you want.

Setting up data sources is a lot easier now

OK, if you're dealing with Oracle you have to have the right URLs, drivers, etc. But the part that's in OpenOffice.org is so easy. Take a look at the tutorial if you don't believe us. See Tutorial: Creating a Data Source on page 873.

Set up data sources based on text files, spreadsheets, or address books

Set up an absolutely plain text file or your address book as the basis for a mail merge. See Creating a Data Source Based on Text Files on page 882.