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Hello;Being my first post to this mailing list i immediately take the
opportunity to try and fix my biggest issue with LO; I can't seem
to open my database file; i get an error message which i can't get
rid of although i've been trying whatever that looked sane to do
...This is the situation;In the past i used MS Office (up to 2007, then i changed); and i
have used MS Access to create some, rather simple, databases where
i have data stored in tables.Before moving to LibOffice i used to use OpenOffice; until a few
months ago... so i used it until version 3.3 and i was able to
open all my database files.I wasn't even using the original MDB files anymore; i saved my
files to the odb format because that was what openoffice would
like me to do and i also preferred to use the ODF file format.Now; since i noticed that it really was taking very very long for
oracle to get some work done on OO.O, i decided to start working
with LibOffice.I removed OO.O first and then I installed LibOffice 3.4.4 (the
latest release).Since that day i can't open my database files anymore; i can't
read the original MDB files, nor can i open my odf files... well,
i can open the odf files, but as soon as i open a table i get an
errormessage. (it's dutch though, so i'll translate it for you
guys later on).Maybe i'll first start with telling you what system i have and how
it's configured;(note; i have this problem as wel on my notebook as on my desktop
system; both are kinda the same when speaking about installed
software... both generate the same error; both had no problem with
OO.O)Softspecs; Windows 7 Professional SP1Java 7u1 X64 + X86 -LibO can't use java7Java 6u29 x64 + x86 -LibO is set to use the X86 versionLibO is installed with ALL extra's and options except for the
pocketpc and palm device extra's.I have NO other office-software installed on either device (laptop
or desktop)The error i get on both machine when i try to access the table in
my odf file is this (i'll start with the original first and then
translate it);De verbinding met gegevensbron 'main' kon niet tot stand worden
gebracht.De verbinding met de externe gegevensbron kan niet tot stand
worden gebracht omdat er geen SDBC-stuurprogramma voor de
opgegeven URL beschikbaar is.English version;The connection with the datasource 'main' couldn't be made.The connection with the external datasource can't be made
because there's no SDBC-driver available for the given URL.The thing is though; i have made special 'links' to the SDBC files
in the options -java -classpath which link to the
correct directorieseven files (hsqldb.jar / sdbc_hsqldb.jar
/ "Liboffice\basis\program\classes") but i guess it doesn't work.
Also; i have the idea that java doesn't get loaded by LibOffice.Now please; help me if you can... what should i do; except turning
back to openoffice 3.3... since that's really the very last thing
i'd like to do (not that i don't trust it... but their development
is so slow)Or should i consider LibOf 3.4 as 'unstable' and revert to 3.3.4
? that is maybe an option i could consider...now shoot me with your info's :)--Met vriendelijke groeten,Michael Bogaerts
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Michael ,
We zouden dat in het Nederlands kunnen oplossen, no 
You must understand that your odb file is just a go between, to make a "connection" to your original tables "main". When you first made your odb file you have to make a choice wath "driver" to use make the connection.
For some reason the choosen driver is no longer found.
Open your odb file and check under edit > datbase >"connection type" wath driver is missing .
Hop it helps
Groeten
Fernand
Hi Michael,
with LibOffice.I removed OO.O first and then I installed LibOffice 3.4.4 (the
latest release).Since that day i can't open my database files anymore; i can't
read the original MDB files, nor can i open my odf files... well,
i can open the odf files, but as soon as i open a table i get an
errormessage. (it's dutch though, so i'll translate it for you
MDB file access, in fact the ADO, Access2003, Access2007, accdb file access was all broken in the 3.4.x versions up to and including 3.4.4.
Several fixes were entered into the master code branch for the upcoming 3.5 release, which appear to have solved this problem (still not perfect, but at least it now works - well in the tests I managed to do anyway). You may want to test with a beta release of 3.5 to see if you work with those files again.
I don't know whether the fixes are going to be integrated into a 3.4.5 version.
Alex
Hey Alex,
Thanks for the info..
But since i'm using CALC in a production enviroment i don't want to go 'trying' with beta releases ...
I could though use a VM and see if it works there ...
Also; i thought that the tables were converted to ODF; but clearly they're not when i read your comments...
Is there a way to fully convert an MDB to ODF without keeping 'links'???
because actually that's what i wanted to do in the first place...
If i need an older version to do that, no problem; i'll temporarily install OO.O or so in a VM and do it with that, so that in my production enviroment i'm permanently freed of this MS dictatorship...
Thanks again for all your good help!
Met vriendelijke groeten,
Michael Bogaerts
Hi
You can have a machine with more than 1 version of LibreOffice but it's not trivial to set-up. This guide can help.
http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Installing_in_parallel
The main advantage is that when you feel like upgrading you can test the new one before committing to it and rolling it out. It saves setting up a VM as they are never quite the same as "running on bare metal".
Regards from
Tom
It's hard to think of a situation that would truly benefit from the
data being in an odb. Specific database engines manipulate their own
data much better than... Almost anything.
You can do by extracting the data from your current database and
putting it into HSQL. I believe Base does actually store that data
in the .odb file.
Mark Stanton
One small step for mankind...
Hi
Ouch sorry for double-posting and nothing hugely useful in either.
Base is better when the back-end is separate from the front-end. Base is a great front-end. There are a lot of choices for back-ends and i have no idea which is best for a simple small database. SqlLite, HSql(db?) or something?
A new guide to Base is being written but it's slow going. The 1st chapter is available at
http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Documentation/Publications#LibreOffice_Base_Guide
There is a tutorial just under it on that page.
Base can use an embedded back-end just like Access does but it's not as good that way apparently. I think the back-end is basically the table and perhaps the relationships between tables but i'm not completely clear yet. I think the front-end is the gui, queries, forms, reports and all that. Somehow i doubt it's quite that straight-forwards!
Getting forms and reports from Access to Base is not easy. I think you basically have to re-write them. I'm guessing/hoping that Queries can possibly be exported as Sql statements and then imported and tweaked. Access doesn't follow Sql standards in it's implementation so it might be easier to just re-create them too.
I have been wondering about trying to access works simple but messy database through Base and just set-up queries and stuff that are less problematic so that we all write to the same data-source. I have a feeling that it might be easier to move the data to a new back-end and then get Access to read that rather than to use it's embedded back-end.
So, this thread has been interesting and good to see.
Regards from
Tom
You are learning me here something ...
So odb files aren't real database files or what???
Met vriendelijke groeten,
Michael Bogaerts
Hi Michael,
Also; i thought that the tables were converted to ODF; but clearly
they're not when i read your comments...Is there a way to fully convert an MDB to ODF without keeping 'links'???
because actually that's what i wanted to do in the first place...If i need an older version to do that, no problem; i'll temporarily
install OO.O or so in a VM and do it with that, so that in my production
enviroment i'm permanently freed of this MS dictatorship...
The GUI way :
1) open the ODB file that points to your MDB file in OOo/LO(in a version
that works of course)
2) Create a new blank ODB file with the database creation wizard. You do
not need to use the wizard to create any tables, just the container.
3) Open this second ODB file for editing, click on the Tables icon in
the main ODB window.
4) Now, select a table from your ODB/MDB file, and drag/drop it into the
empty table workspace of your new ODB file window. A migration wizard
should start that will help you with the data and structure migration of
your Access table to a table understood by the HSQLDB engine used in the
native ODB container.
5) Be sure to check that both structure and data types are what you want
before allowing the data to be imported. Also note that some Access data
types are not supported by the HSQLDB engine. These fields havin a data
type definition that is not recognised will have <OBJECT> as their data
type or UNKNOWN or UNIDENTIFIED (I'm speaking from memory here, so don't
quote me on this last bit). For those data types, you will have to find
an approximate equivalent that is supported by HSQLDB, if indeed such a
type exists (checking beforehand would be wise).
6) Repeat for each table that you want to convert/migrate.
7) Save your new ODB file before closing the main ODB container window,
in fact, save it regularly anyway, as the ODB container is not a model
of stability (unfortunately).
Hope that helps,
Alex
Hi.
Not sure if it would work, but what about the 3.3.4 release?
steve
If I'm not mistaken (although I might be and I haven't got the time
to go back and check) and odb file is effectively a zip file with
various things in it.
As Tom said, LO (& Ooo, of course) really doesn't have a database
section. It has a gateway to a database, in fact different adapters
for various databases. This is really very sensible in most ways.
It just talks to a database engine that is specifically built to do
the data work and just gives back results.
I believe HSQL is a "cut down" database, on the basis that a lot of
the bells and whistles of a full database engine aren't required by
small applications. Hence it's a small, fast database, without it's
own data storage, I imagine, since the data for it *is* kept in the
odb file.
I hope someone will correct me if I'm wrong in the technical details
here.
Regards
Mark Stanton
One small step for mankind...
Try 3.3.4.
Most likely related:
https://bugs.freedesktop.org/process_bug.cgi
That works in 3.3.4 for me, but not in 3.4.4.
Hi Mark,
If I'm not mistaken (although I might be and I haven't got the time
to go back and check) and odb file is effectively a zip file with
various things in it.
Yes.
I believe HSQL is a "cut down" database, on the basis that a lot of
the bells and whistles of a full database engine aren't required by
small applications. Hence it's a small, fast database, without it's
own data storage, I imagine, since the data for it *is* kept in the
odb file.
Hmm, I wouldn't say "cut down", it is actually rather good, certainly in
its latest incarnation, which is not included as the engine for OOo/LO
ODB files.
It can be used with its own independent storage too, but then you have
to set it up in server/client mode, i.e. LO becomes the client (via and
ODB file) and hsqldb.jar runs as a "server". In the current setup of
LO/hsqldb, the data is effectively stored within the ODB file. In fact,
the whole of the hsqldb.jar is loaded into memory when the ODB file is
opened. This is then used (via a Java2uno bridge, at least that is how I
understand it) to access tables, queries, forms, etc, so everything
resides in memory, which is fine...until your app crashes, you run out
of memory, or you have a power cut, and then...you cry your heart out,
throw a wobbly, or swear til the air turns blue, when you discover your
precious ODB file has either been corrupted or the data you have been
entering for the last 3 hours has not been saved. And all of this is
absolutely not hsqldb's fault, but OOo/LO's because of the way it was
decided at the time to integrate hsqldb into OOo.
There are moves afoot to switch to SQLite as the default db backend
engine. Whether that will actually work, whether it will result in one
or several files, remains to be seen. Personally, I hope that the
multifile option will be chosen, and that we will just use the LO ODB
container as a front end, so that the db data will always be accessible
outside of the LO app and readable by any SQLite compliant reader.
Here's hoping...
Alex
Hi Alex,
Hmm, I wouldn't say "cut down", it is actually rather good,
I understand that it *is* good. As I understand it the cut-down-ness
contributes to the good-ness, or at least that was part of the design
goal.
Mark Stanton
One small step for mankind...
I think that java isn't starting ...
for some reason LO doesn't load java; and thus it's DB driver isn't loaded either?
(i say this because normally i get a small java icon in my systray whenever java is loaded and this isn't happening anymore)
Also; when i go to options -> java; it takes like 8-10 seconds before the java screen responds ... and then it lists both versions of java 1.6u29 ... (i've got 1.6 & 1.7 installed, both x86 and x64).
I have the 32 bit version selected though, as i know that LibO is a 32bit app and won't talk with the 64bit java ...
I think i'll just install OO.O 's base to open my ODB files for the time being...
Met vriendelijke groeten,
Michael Bogaerts
Zaakvoerder ~ F1/Help PC-Herstellingen
You need select a 1.6_29 32 bits, Libo doesn't with Java 64 or Java 1.7
Miguel Ángel.
Hi
In
Tools - Options - Java
It should list all the versions of java that are installed on your system but only 1 of them should be selected. Are there radio buttons on the left-hand side. I think that just above the box is a tick-box so that you can choose not to use java at all. If you do something that needs java a pop-up error message typically pops up to grumble about not being able to find java.
However if the database opens easily in OpenOffice and doesn't open well in LibreOffice then using OpenOffice's Base makes a lot of sense. It's difficult to install and run OpenOffice alongside LibreOffice, or to run 2 versions of LibreOffice alongside each other but this guide might help
http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Installing_in_parallel
Good luck and regards from
Tom
I will just try with uninstalling base from LibO, and then installing OO.O's Base
I have indeed got the tickboxes and don't get any 'java not found' error's ...
I think this could work just as i hope it would... I'll keep you guys infmored on the matter!
Met vriendelijke groeten,
Michael Bogaerts
Informatie-website: http://F1Help.be (/F1/Help PC-Herstellingen/)
Persoonlijke BLOG-site: http://dcnet.be/praten (/BoGy's Visie op het Leven/)
Hi Michael,
I will just try with uninstalling base from LibO, and then installing
OO.O's Base
Be warned that if you do that, you may find that Base and Calc will crash on you as soon as you activate any functions linked to database operations (addressbook, dataranges, mailmerge, etc).
Alex
Anyways
IT WORKS!!!
i can open my ODB files in BASE on OO.O and can still use all the other Applications in libO
I hope that LibO's BASE get's fixed in an upcoming release, so i can remove OO.O again and stay fully focused on LibO.
I"m just glad i can open my databases again without having to struggle with errors here and there...
Met vriendelijke groeten,
Michael Bogaerts
Zaakvoerder ~ F1/Help PC-Herstellingen