MS Access FAQ

DrewJensen · Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 1:05 pm Post subject: MS Access FAQ

It was suggested that a Microsoft Access / OOoBase FAQ page would make sense, a wiki page has been started to build this FAQ.

MSA-Base FAQ

As is always the case with community efforts this requires the follwoing from 'folks'

In a nut shell - involvement. Yes, this means you!

Smile

c09njg · Newbie Joined: 08 Mar 2007 Posts: 1

My question is concerning the conversion of access mdb's to Ooo base using Mac OSx. I have been collaborating with Ms Access users, and need to open mdb files in Ooo base. Up to this point, I have been unable to do this.

I have searched the associated Wiki for questions and answers, but I have been unable to find an answer that related directly the Mac OSx.

If you could please answer this question, or direct me to the answer, it would be most appreciated.

Thank you,

Nelson Greenleaves
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roblopfer · Newbie Joined: 02 Apr 2007 Posts: 1

Hi, everybody. I have a compiled Access file (.mde) that I used to use with the '97 version. Can I open this with Base? Anybody have pointers for me?

DrewJensen · Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 5:59 pm Post subject:

If your MDE file contains only forms, reports and VBA modules then there is nothing for you to do with Base - Base does not recognize any of these from Access. Only tables are available from within Base.
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pitperic · Newbie Joined: 18 Jun 2007 Posts: 1

sean joshua · Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 8:58 pm Post subject:

So, Drew,

Basically then, are you saying that Base doesn't really open up an MS Access database file? It only opens up a small portion of what the MS Access software does?

DrewJensen · Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 11:35 am Post subject:

Yes, that would be one way to put it.
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mmurrain · General User Joined: 30 Dec 2006 Posts: 11

I have noticed that the option to open up MS Access files (even in the limited form that you can with Base) isn't present on the Mac OS X version of Open Office (2.2.1 was what I tried.) What's up with that? I opened an Access file fine on Linux.

Thanks!

DrewJensen · Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 8:09 pm Post subject:

Not sure what the answer is for Mac OSX - beyond the fact that the port to that OS is still quite a work in progress.

Also, the standard MS Access connection under windows is to use ADO, not available on the MAC I believe. Under Linux they use ODBC and some OS MDB drivers, so that is why you can do so there.

Look for an ODBC connector for MDB files under the Mac and try using it, that should work.
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Tom0290 · Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 11:41 am Post subject:

Tom0290

I should've realized, before I posted, that I'm trying to open an Access database made with MS Office 2000's Access, and I get nothing. When I select the file, the dialog box goes away and nothing happens - as though I'd shut the application down. There's nothing advanced about this database, it's simply names, addresses, phone no's & email addreses of our contacts, no fancy macros or anything.

We have a few other DB's we use for listing proposals & projects, but again - really simple. Right now, these are the only obstacle I can see to moving us away from MS Office. Am I screwing something up?

BTW, running on a Wintel machine, XP SP2 (patched current), Norton 360. No errors indicated during install.

Tom

DrewJensen · Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 11:56 am Post subject:

Hi Tom,

Well, the first thing to do would be to look at this page on the OO.org wiki

http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/Connecting_to_Microsoft_Access

Then we could start looking how to migrate from an MS Access database to a Base database.
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Tom0290

Again!

Did it after I posted. I'm not giving myslef a real stellar start here! So for any other newbie tha stumbles down this thread, opening an Access DB in Base is done with the "Connect to an existing" option in the dialog box, not the "Open existing...."

Sorry, Drew.

So far, so good. I've opened and saved a Word document, an Excel document and an Access database. Only one minor formatting issue when I reopened the Word document in Word.

Personal note: I'm a Worperfect guy , we have Word 2000 here which I find to be totally intractable. We'd settled on Office as a standard ( istubbornly stuck with WP), but we're sick of MS and all the issuws around Vista & what not. If this works well with PDF export, I think we'll be gone on it.

Thanks again,

Tom

pauldob · Newbie Joined: 15 Nov 2007 Posts: 1

can we ask the developers this question?
Paul

DrewJensen · Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 6:53 am Post subject:

You can ask them on the mailing lists at the main OpenOffice.org web site.

Sorry though, what question are you wanting to ask?
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