Visibooks the visibooks guide to base 2 0 apr 2006 ISBN 1597060380 pdf

The Visibooks Guide
to Base 2.0

by Jill & Kevin Jordan

www.visibooks.com


The Visibooks Guide to Base 2.0
Copyright
Copyright © 2006 by Visibooks™, LLC. All rights reserved.

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people, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

ISBN 1597060380

Table of Contents
Database Basics ............................................. 1
Create a new database ..........................................................................2
Create tables ........................................................................................12
Create records......................................................................................21
Create forms .........................................................................................29
Create queries ......................................................................................42
Create reports ......................................................................................49

Working with Tables ..................................... 65
Modify tables ........................................................................................66
Create new tables.................................................................................76
Specify data types................................................................................79
Specify field properties .......................................................................85
Edit records ..........................................................................................88
Find records .........................................................................................91
Sort and filter records..........................................................................96
Create table relationships .................................................................101

TABLE OF CONTENTS

i


Working with Forms ....................................113
Modify forms ...................................................................................... 114
Add/delete records ............................................................................ 119
Edit records........................................................................................ 121
Find records....................................................................................... 123
Filter records...................................................................................... 126

Working with Queries ..................................131
Create queries.................................................................................... 132
Sort results......................................................................................... 141
Add criteria......................................................................................... 143
Employ Boolean operators ............................................................... 146

ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS


Database Basics
In this section, you’ll learn how to:
• Create a new database
• Create tables
• Create records
• Create forms
• Create queries
• Create reports

DATABASE BASICS

1


Create a new database
1.

Start OpenOffice.org Base.

Your screen should look like this:

2

DATABASE BASICS


2.

In the Database Wizard window, click Create a new database.

Then click the

button.

DATABASE BASICS

3


3.

When the Save as window appears, create a new folder in the
My Documents folder called Practice Base Files.

Tip: To create a new folder, make sure the My Documents

folder appears as the Save In folder.
Then click the

4.

icon.

Double-click the Practice Base Files folder.
It should appear as the Save In folder.

4

DATABASE BASICS


5.

In the File name box, type:
Family.odb

Tip: Base will automatically add a file extension for you when
you leave the Automatic file name extension box checked.

DATABASE BASICS

5


6.

Click the

button.

The window for the Family database should open:

6

DATABASE BASICS


Identify database elements
Elements of databases
A database stores information in an organized way, and makes it easy
to get information in and out.
Tables store data within the database.
Forms make it easy to put data into tables.
Queries pull out specific data.
Reports put data in an easily-read format.

Form

Query

Table

Table

Report

DATABASE BASICS

7

1.

8

In the Database list, click Tables.

DATABASE BASICS


2.

Click Queries.

DATABASE BASICS

9


3.

10

Click Forms.

DATABASE BASICS


4.

Click Reports.

5.

Click Tables.

DATABASE BASICS

11


Create tables
1.

12

Click Create Table in Design View.

DATABASE BASICS


A blank table should open with the columns Field Name, Field
Type, and Description:

DATABASE BASICS

13

Name fields in Design View
1.

Click in the box under the Field Name column header:

2.

Type:
First Name

14

DATABASE BASICS


3.

Press the ENTER key on your keyboard.
The Design View of the table should look like this:

The field type for First Name can stay Text [VARCHAR].

DATABASE BASICS

15


4.

Click in the box under where you just typed First Name.

Type:
Last Name
It should look like this:

5.
16

Press the ENTER key on your keyboard.

DATABASE BASICS


6.

In the same way, create the following fields:
City
Zip
Phone Number
The table should now look like this:

DATABASE BASICS

17


7.

On the Menu Bar, click File, then Save.

8.

When the Save As window appears, type:
My Family
in the Table Name box.

9.

18

Click the

DATABASE BASICS

button.


10.

When the alert window that reads No primary key appears, click
the

button.

Base will insert an ID field—the Key field—in the table:

DATABASE BASICS

19

11.

On the Menu Bar, click File, then Close.

The key field
When the alert window popped up, and you clicked the
Base added the ID field to the table.

button,

The ID field is now the table’s primary key, or key field. That means it
can’t contain any duplicates.
Every table should have a key field.
For example, if a hospital keeps a database, each patient can have a
unique ID number in the key field.
That way, if it has more than one patient named John Baker, it can
easily distinguish John Baker, ID #326 in for a checkup, from John
Baker, ID #298 who needs his gall bladder removed.

20

DATABASE BASICS