Database newb question - OOo and MySQL

[Corfy]

I am learning about databases because my boss has a big project in mind and he wants it put into a database. (I am currently half-way through a class on MS Access, but most of the people he wants to use this database don't have Access, so I am thinking about using Base instead. I haven't told my boss that yet, though.) I am making a few assumptions in this post... feel free to correct any of them.

Since my boss is wanting multiple people to access the database at once (looks like around 8 people, although they wouldn't neccessarily all be using it at the same time), I was thinking about setting up a MySQL database and using Base to connect to it. I assume that system would be more robust for multiple users.

However, I have never tried setting up a database to use an "external" data source before (heck, I haven't made a database outside of the classroom yet... at least not successfully). I just wanted to know how it "worked." I assume the tables will be in the MySQL database and the forms, queries, and reports will be in a Base file? (This is what I mean by "how it worked".) If that is the case, can multiple people open the Base file, or does everyone have to have their own copy of the Base file?

On a side note, will Base connect to an MS SQL database? I figured since MySQL was specifically listed as a connection for Base, and since MySQL is free, I would use that, but we do have a MS SQL database server running already at the office (actually, 2 of them). I don't know how protective MS is about other programs connecting to their SQL database.

Thank you for your time. I really appreciate having this forum here where I can ask dumb questions like this.
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[pitonyak]

it sounds to me like you are correct on every count. I recommend that you use JDBC rather than ODBC to connect to the MySQL database.

there have been reports of people being unable to modify a MySQL database from Base. I can not comment on this since I have only used it to access and/or extract data from a MySQL database using JDBC.

Because you will be having multiple simultaneous users, be certain to use a table type that supports transactions (depending on the usage patterns, of course).
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Andrew Pitonyak
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[Corfy]

[pitonyak]

I think that using the MySQL setting will do as you desire. You need to be certain that you download the JDBC driver for it, however.
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Andrew Pitonyak
http://www.pitonyak.org/oo.php