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I have a MS Access 2003 database on a Windows 10 PC running WampServer 2.5. I can open it in LibreOffice 5.1 Base. I added a test table with LibreOffice Base, consisting of the following fields:

id word

The first field (id) is an integer field, and is autoincrement (set to AutoValue). The second field (word) is varchar.

I saved the table, and then opened it. There are no input fields showing. If I click on Insert/Record, the Record link is greyed out.

To open the Access database with LibreOffice, I did the following:

  1. Opened LibreOffice
  2. Selected Base Database
  3. Connected to an existing data of type Microsoft Access
  4. Browsed for the Access database
  5. Selected not to register the database, and to open the database for editing
  6. Named the .odb file
  7. Opened the database table
  8. Tried to edit a record, without success

I can create a database as HSQLDB Embedded with the same table and fields, and everything works as expected.

What am I doing wrong? Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

John

John Rand
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  • Did you check the saveAs? Sometimes LibreOffice overwrites with a different format. – arcee123 Mar 21 '16 at 20:15
  • Please [edit] your question to indicate the OS you are using (Windows?, Linux? ...?), the version of LibreOffice Base you are using, and the steps you took to "open [the Access 2003 database] in LibreOffice Base". FWIW, I just tried what you described using LO_Base 4.2.6.3 under Windows (and the built-in Access support available under Windows) and it worked fine for me. – Gord Thompson Mar 21 '16 at 21:29
  • @Gord, I edited the question per your request. – John Rand Mar 22 '16 at 02:50
  • @acree The saveAs was in .odb format – John Rand Mar 22 '16 at 02:51

1 Answers1

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Well, in my particular case, the answer was to open the 2003 Access database with ODBC. There are good explanations here: How to Connect to a Microsoft Access Database

Here are the steps I took:

  1. Connect to an existing database, choose ODBC, then Next

  2. On Database Wizard sceen, it asks the name of the ODBC data source on your system. Select Browse

  3. On the Data Soure screen, select Organize

  4. On the ODBC Data Source Administrator screen, select Add

  5. On Create New Data Source screen, select a Microsoft Driver (among different drivers and languages), then Finish

  6. On the ODBC Microsoft Access Setup screen, type in Data Source Name, Description, and Select database, then OK

  7. On the ODBC Data Source Administrator screen, select the User Data Source you just set up, then OK. The dialog closes.

  8. On the Data Source screen, select the data source you just set up, then OK

  9. Next Password, if you are using one

  10. Next screen, "Yes, register the database for me" (which may not be needed here) and "Open the database for editing", then Finish

  11. Next, give the .odb a file name and save it.

That's it.

John Rand
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