ICDL Module 5

Database

Wendi Wise
ICDL Module 5: Database

Wendi Wise

Published 2004
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Table of Contents
1. Using the application ....................................................................................... 1
Database concepts ...................................................................................... 1
Understand what a database is ............................................................. 1
Understand how a database is organised in terms of tables, records, fields,
and with field data types, field properties ............................................. 1
Understand what a primary key is ........................................................ 1
Understand what an index is ................................................................ 1
Understand the purpose of relating tables in a database ......................... 2
Understand the importance of setting rules to ensure relationships between
tables are valid ................................................................................... 2
First Steps with Databases ........................................................................... 2
Open (and close) a database application ............................................... 2
Open, log onto an existing database ..................................................... 4
Create a new database ......................................................................... 6
Save a database to a location on a drive ................................................ 7
Use available Help functions ............................................................... 7
Close a database ................................................................................. 7
Adjust Settings ........................................................................................... 7
Change between view modes in a table, form, report ............................. 7
Display, hide built-in toolbars .............................................................. 7
2. Tables ............................................................................................................ 9
Main Operations ......................................................................................... 9
Create and save a table and specify fields with their data types .............. 9
Add, delete records in a table ............................................................. 10
Add a field to an existing table .......................................................... 11
Add, modify data in a record ............................................................. 11
Delete data in a record ...................................................................... 12
Use the undo command ..................................................................... 12
Navigate within a table to next record, previous record, first record, last
record, specific record ....................................................................... 12
Delete a table ................................................................................... 12
Save and close a table ....................................................................... 12
Define Keys ............................................................................................. 13
Define a primary key ........................................................................ 13
Index a field with, without duplicates allowed .................................... 13
Table Design/Layout ................................................................................. 14
Change field format attributes such as: field size, number format, date
format .............................................................................................. 14
Understand consequences of changing field size attributes in a table .... 15
Create a simple validation rule for number, text, date/time, currency .... 15
Change width of columns in a table ................................................... 15
Move a column within a table ............................................................ 16
Table Relationships .................................................................................. 16
Create a one-to-one, one-to-many relationship between tables ............. 16
Delete relationships between tables .................................................... 17
Apply rule(s) to relationships such that fields that join tables are not
deleted as long as links to another table exist ...................................... 17
3. Exercise 1 ..................................................................................................... 19
4. Exercise 2 ..................................................................................................... 21
5. Exercise 3 ..................................................................................................... 23
6. Forms ........................................................................................................... 25
Working with Forms ................................................................................. 25
vi ICDL Module 5

Open a form ..................................................................................... 25

Create and save a form ...................................................................... 25
Use a form to enter, modify, delete records ......................................... 27
Go to next record, previous record, first record, last record, specific record
using form display ............................................................................ 28
Add, modify text in Headers, Footers in a form ................................... 28
Delete a form ................................................................................... 28
Save and close a form ....................................................................... 28
7. Exercise 1 ..................................................................................................... 29
8. Excercise 2 ................................................................................................... 31
9. Retrieving Information .................................................................................. 33
Main Operations ....................................................................................... 33
Use the search command for a specific word, number, date in a field ... 33
Apply a filter to a table, form ............................................................. 33
Remove a filter from a table, form ..................................................... 34
Queries .................................................................................................... 34
Create and save a single table query, two-table query using specific search
criteria ............................................................................................. 34
Add criteria to a query using any of the following operators: ............... 36
Edit a query by adding, removing criteria ........................................... 37
Edit a query: add, remove, move, hide, unhide fields ........................... 37
Run a query ...................................................................................... 37
Delete a query .................................................................................. 37
Save and close a query ...................................................................... 38
Sort Records ............................................................................................. 38
Sort data in a table, form, query output, in ascending, descending numeric,
alphabetic order ................................................................................ 38
10. Exercise 1 ................................................................................................... 39
11. Exercise 2 ................................................................................................... 41
12. Exercise 3 ................................................................................................... 43
13. Reports ....................................................................................................... 45
Working with Reports ............................................................................... 45
Create and save a report based on a table, query .................................. 45
Change arrangement of data fields and headings within a report layout 48
Group data under a specific heading (field) in a report in ascending,
descending order .............................................................................. 49
Present specific fields in a grouped report by sum, minimum, maximum,
average, count, at appropriate break points ......................................... 49
Add, modify text in Headers, Footers in a report ................................. 49
Delete a report .................................................................................. 49
Save and close a report ...................................................................... 49
14. Excercise 1 ................................................................................................. 51
15. Excercise 2 ................................................................................................. 53
16. Prepare Outputs .......................................................................................... 55
Prepare to Print ......................................................................................... 55
Preview a table, form, report ............................................................. 55
Change report orientation: portrait, landscape. Change paper size ........ 55
Print Options ............................................................................................ 55
Print a page, selected record(s), complete table ................................... 55
Print all records using form layout, specific pages using form layout .... 55
Print the result of a query .................................................................. 55
Print specific page(s) in a report, complete report ............................... 55
17. Excercise 1 ................................................................................................. 57
18. Excercise 2 ................................................................................................. 59
Chapter 1. Using the application

Database concepts

Understand what a database is

A database is a collection of related information which is organised into a series of rows
(called records) and columns (called fields) that are populated with data. A well
constructed database should make it very easy to manage information quickly and
effectively.

Data is the raw information that is entered and makes up the records in the tables while the
resulting information is the processed data.

For example, the conversion of data to information takes place when a number of records
are retrieved according to certain criteria and calculations are performed or the sequence of
displaying them is changed to output in a certain way.

Understand how a database is organised in terms of tables,

records, fields, and with field data types, field properties
Databases comprise of many different components which are constructed from tables of
information which contain numerous records. In turn each record contains many fields
pertaining to that record.

For example, in a simple database for a small business, you would want to record
information pertaining to various aspects of the business such as customer, supplier and
product details. You could start by creating a table called Customers and entering
information into it such as the Customer's Name, Address, Telephone No, Fax No etc.
Each row of information (record) would be all the details belonging to that particular
customer. The fields making up each record would be Customer's Name, Address ,
Telephone No, Fax No.

Each field can have a different data type specification, eg the Customer's Name field could
be defined as a Text field type while the Telephone No could be defined as a numerical
field.

Each field can also be assigned properties such as the maximum length of characters it
must contain and whether it is compulsory to enter data into it before the capturer is
allowed to continue.

Understand what a primary key is

A primary key is used to identify the records in the table and must be unique for each
record. You can choose whether you want to make a specific field the primary key or
whether you want a separate ID field created. You can also choose whether you want to
autogenerate the number or type it in manually for each record.

Understand what an index is

An index allows quick access to a database as long as you query the data in the selection
2 Using the application

that was defined through the index. When you design a table you can define the indexes on
the Indexes tab page. You can do this by Clicking Tools > Index Design and then click on
New Index.

Understand the purpose of relating tables in a database

There are two types of databases – flat file and relational.

Flat file databases store all the information in one table. This type of database is easy to set
up, but is not very flexible or efficient when it comes to storing and manipulating large
amounts of data.

Relational databases store information in a number of separate tables and then relationships
are created between the tables to combine the information. Relational databases are used
for managing large amounts of information as they are faster and easier to maintain than
the flat file database.

Understand the importance of setting rules to ensure

relationships between tables are valid
It is useful to be able to set rules when entering data to ensure the correct data is entered.

For example, you can specify the Postal Code field to be only four characters long. So if
the data capturer typed in more than three, OOBase will not allow it. Another example is
the Name field. You could set a rule ensuring that all data entered in this field is text and
not in a numerical format. This helps ensure that the capturer doesn't insert data in the
wrong field.

It is important to set rules in the Design View of the table to make sure that the important
data is captured properly and the risk of errors is reduced. There may be many different
people capturing the data into the database.

First Steps with Databases

Open (and close) a database application

To open an existing database click on File > Open and click on the database you want to
open (Figure 1).

Figure 1.1. File Open

 3

To close the database click on File > Close (Figure 2).

Figure 1.2. Close Database

You will be prompted to save any unsaved data. Be careful which option you choose
(Figure 3).

Figure 1.3. Save/Discard

4 Using the application

Open, log onto an existing database

In 5.1.2.2 we looked at opening an existing OOBase database. In this section we are going
to look at how to connect to an existing database, eg MySQL.

Click on File > New. (Figure 4)

Figure 1.4. Connection to MySQL DB screen 1

Once you have clicked on the option you want click on the Next button which will take
you to screen 2 (Figure 5).

Figure 1.5. Connection to MySQL DB screen 2

 5

This screen will differ depending on which Database type you selected in
screen 1. In this example we selected MySQL, but there are others available.
The other options are : Adabas D, Dbase, Evolution Address Book, JDBC,
LDAP Address Book, Mozilla Address Book, ODBC, Oracle JDBC,
Spreadsheet, Text.

Choose how you want to connect your database and then click Next.

Figure 1.6. Connection to MySQL DB Screen 3

You need to enter the name of the database and the server URL. Note that to connect using
JDBC a JDBC driver class must be installed on the system and registered with
6 Using the application

OpenOffice.org (Figure 6). Click Next.

Figure 1.7. Connection to MySQL DB Screen 4

You then need to enter the user name if this is applicable (Figure 7) and click on Finish to
save and proceed (Figure 8).

Figure 1.8. Connection to MySQL DB Final Screen

Create a new database

Save a database to a location on a 7
drive

To create a new database click on File > New Database (Figure 4).

Save a database to a location on a drive

You need to save regularly. When you create your database initially you will be asked to
choose a filename and location. After that you can simply use the File > Save or click on
the save button on the toolbar to update the database.

Use available Help functions

OpenOffice.org Base comes with a Help feature which is accessed by clicking on Help on
the toolbar and then clicking on OpenOffice.org Help.

Close a database
Click on File > Close. See above in 5.1.2.1

Adjust Settings

Change between view modes in a table, form, report

FIX ME

Display, hide built-in toolbars

You can display or hide the built-in toolbars by clicking on View > Toolbars from the
menu bar. If there is a tick next to the toolbar it means it is visible. If you want to hide it
click on it to remove the tick.
8 This page intentionally left blank
Chapter 2. Tables

Main Operations

Create and save a table and specify fields with their data
types
The first step to a database is to create the tables that are needed. You can design a table
from scratch or you can activate the Table Wizard which allows you to choose formats that
have been pre-defined and are available to use.

To do this click on the Tables icon on the left hand side of the screen (Figure 9).

Figure 2.1. Tables

If you choose to Create Table in Design View, the following screen will appear (Figure
10).

Figure 2.2. New Table in Design Mode

10 Tables

Here you enter the field names underneath each other as per the example in Figure 10. The
green arrow shows the active row. You can specify a Field Type in the next column which
can be either a Text field or a Date, Time, Number, various types of Integer etc. If you do
not specify a Field type it will default to Text.

If you look down at the Field Properties below you will see other options that are available,
eg if Entry is required for that field. This is so that you can force the person who will be
capturing the data into the table to enter information. If no information is entered you will
not be allowed to continue until something has been entered.

Add, delete records in a table

Once you have decided on the fields that a table will contain you will need to enter the
records. In a table containing information about customers names and addresses each
customers information is one record. For example.

CustomerID = JD001
Name = JD Wholesalers
Address = 1 Loop Street
Town = Cape Town
PostalCode = 8001
TelNo = 408 9999
Add a field to an existing table 11

This is one record for the customer JD Wholesalers – it contains all details pertaining to
that company. The record is made up of five fields, Name, Address, Town, PostalCode,
TelNo. Of course this is an example so you would probably have more fields than what
have been used here.

Once you have entered this information you will have entered a record.

To enter the information click in the cell below the first field (as you would when entering
data into a spreadsheet). Type into the cell. Move to the next cell by using the arrows on
the keyboard or by using your mouse and enter the information for each field until it is
complete.

Add a field to an existing table

Once you have created a table you may find that you wish to add another field at a later
stage. This you do by right-clicking on the table name and choosing Edit. If you want the
field at the end then simply click in the row underneath the last field and enter the new
field. Click on the Save button to save the change. If you forget to save the table you will
prompted to do so when you close it.

If you want the new field to appear within the current fields, ie not at the end, then click on
the grey button to the left of the field that you want to be after the new field and right click.
A pop up menu will appear allowing you to choose to insert rows (Figure 11). Click on
Insert Rows and you have a new row in which to enter your field.

Figure 2.3. Table PopUp Menu

Add, modify data in a record

Once the records have been entered into the table it may be necessary to change it.
Right-click on the table name and choose Open.

Click on the field you want to change and type in the new information. (Figure 12)

Figure 2.4. Update an existing record

12 Tables

Delete data in a record

To delete a record right click on the table name and choose Open. Click on the grey button
next to the record you want to delete and right-click to activate the pop up menu. Click on
Delete and the record will be deleted.

Use the undo command

If you make a mistake you can click on the Undo button or you can click on Edit > Undo
Data Input.

Navigate within a table to next record, previous record, first

record, last record, specific record
You can navigate within the table to various records. There are two ways of doing this. By
using the Find Record button on the toolbar

or by using the Table toolbar at the bottom of the screen (Figure 13)

Figure 2.5. Navigate to another record

If you click on the first arrow with the line to the left of the arrow it will take you to the
first record. The button next to that (left arrow) takes you back 1 record, ie if you are on
record 3 and you click this arrow you will go to record 2. The next button (right arrow) will
take you one forward, ie if you are on record 3 you will go to record 4. The last arrow with
the line to the right will take you to the very end.

Delete a table
Click on the table and right-click to activate the popup menu. Choose Delete. You will be
asked to confirm the deletion. Be careful when choosing that you really want to delete the
table.

Save and close a table

Define Keys 13

When you are designing a table make sure you click on the save button as you make
changes. When you are finished click on the close button (X). If you have not yet saved
you will be prompted.

Define Keys

Define a primary key

Every table in OOBase needs to have a primary key defined. The is a field (or fields) that
uniquely identify a record. In other words no two records can contain the same number in
the primary key field. In the Customers table we have a field called CustomerID which
should be set to the primary key in this case. This means that each customer will have it's
own unique identifying number. If you use a field such as the Name as a primary key it
will probably not work as you may find companies with the same name. Sometimes you
can use an existing field such as ID number as a primary key field. If you do not have a
field that is suitable to use as the primary key then you will need to create one such as
CustomerID to act as the primary key.

To set a field as a primary key, click on the grey button next to the field name in and right
click to activate the pop up menu. Click on Primary Key. You will see a small yellow key
appearing next to the field name.

Index a field with, without duplicates allowed

An index improves performance by providing an alternate path to access data and speeds
up searches, sorting, queries etc.

To create an index click on Tables and open in Edit mode. Click on Tools > Index Design
or click on the icon on the toolbar. Figure 14 shows an example of the first Index Design
screen.

Figure 2.6. Creating a new index

Click on the first icon to create a New Index. A new index is created on the left hand side
14 Tables

called Index1 which you can rename. In the example in Figure 15 the index has been
renamed to Surname. On the right hand side you will need to select the field you want to
create the index on, in this case it is the surname field and the sort order is Ascending.

Figure 2.7. Renaming the index

Notice that there is an option to make this a unique index. In other words if you do not
want duplicate entries here you would click on Unique. This would not work here as there
are going to be instances where many people have the same surname. However, if you
were creating the index on a field like an account number you would then choose not to
allow duplicates by activating the Unique option.

Remember to save the index by clicking on the save button. If you have not saved and you
click on the close button you will get the following prompt “Do you want to save the
changes made to the current index? At this point you could save.

Table Design/Layout

Change field format attributes such as: field size, number

format, date format
When you create the fields you will notice a section at the bottom of the screen that allows
you to change attributes such as the size of the field, the number and date format. To
change attributes for a field you will need to click on the field at the top which will give
you access to it's attributes displayed in the bottom section of the screen. (Figure 16)

Figure 2.8. Change the attributes of a field

Understand consequences of 15
changing field size attributes in a

To change the field size of the PostalCode field click on it to select it. As in Figure 16
above a green arrow will appear to indicate that it has been selected. Then click in the
white box next to Length. Type in the number of characters you want the field to be
restricted to. In this case it is 4.

If you want to change the number or date format click on the grey button next to Format
example. This will bring up a dialogue box which will allow you to choose a format for the
number or date.

Understand consequences of changing field size attributes in

a table
It is important to note that if you change the field size in a table and there is already data
captured you may lose some of that data. For example, if you change a field size from 50
characters long to 10 characters long and there is a record with 20 characters in that
particular field you will lose the data so be very careful.

Create a simple validation rule for number, text, date/time,

currency
Rules can be created for various fields, for example, you may want to restrict a field to be
no bigger than 10 characters. This is done by creating a validation rule. Click on Tables
and Edit the table.

Click on the field you want to set a rule for. The attributes are displayed at the bottom of
the screen.

Change width of columns in a table

Sometimes the columns containing the fields are not wide enough to display the data fully.
16 Tables

You can widen the columns by opening the table. Click on the table, right click and select
Open from the pop-up menu. Move your mouse up between the field names in the grey
area (as you would to widen columns in a spreadsheet), double click on the vertical line
separator.

Move a column within a table

FIX ME

Table Relationships

Create a one-to-one, one-to-many relationship between

tables
A relationship is created by linking a field in one table to identical fields in another one.
For example in the Customers table each customer has a unique ID number in the field
CustomerID. There is also a field in the Orders table called CustomerID. By linking the
two and creating a relationship you can display all the orders for a certain customer based
on that customer's number.

To create a relationship between two tables click on Tools > Relationships and the
following dialogue box will appear (Figure 17).

Figure 2.9. Relationships - adding tables

Click on the Customers table and click the Add button. Click on the Orders table and click
table

on the Add button. Both tables will appear. Click on the CustomerID field in the
Customers table and drag it across and drop it on the CustomerID field in the Orders table.
A relationship is created between the two tables based on the CustomerID field.

Delete relationships between tables

To delete the relationship between the tables, click on Tools > Relationships. Right-click
on the line linking the tables (Figure 18) and click on Delete.

Figure 2.10. Delete a relationship

Apply rule(s) to relationships such that fields that join tables

are not deleted as long as links to another table exist
You want to make sure that the record between tables remains accurate once a relationship
has been created. The way to do this is to enforce referential integrity. Click on Tools >
New Relation (Figure 19).

Figure 2.11. Referential Integrity

18 Tables

By clicking on Update cascade you are ensuring that if a change is made in the Primary
Key field it will make the changes in the other tables that that field is linked to.

Clicking on Delete cascade ensures that Base will delete all the records that are linked to
that field. If this option is not selected you will not be allowed to delete a record that is
linked to other records.
Chapter 3. Exercise 1
1. Create a database file, AA Enterprises
2. Create a table within this database as follows:

Fieldnames Type Width

CustomerID Number
Name Text 25
Address Text 50
PostalCode Text 6
TelNo Number 10
FaxNo Number 10

3. Make the Name field compulsory

4. Make CustomerID the primary key
5. Save the table with the name CUSTOMERS
20 This page intentionally left blank
Chapter 4. Exercise 2
1. Open the AA Enterprises database
2. Edit the CUSTOMERS table and change the field size of PostalCode to 4
3. Change the TelNo and FaxNo fields to Text
4. Add a field called Date and set it to display in the following format : MM/DD/YYYY
5. Save the table
6. Create a new table called ORDERS with the following fields

Fieldname Type Width

OrderID Number
CustomerID Number
Date Date
Amount Number

7. Make OrderID the primary key

8. Save the table as ORDERS
9. Create a relationship between the CUSTOMERS and ORDERS tables on the
CUSTOMERID field
10. Close the database
22 This page intentionally left blank
Chapter 5. Exercise 3
Open the AA Enterprises CUSTOMERS table and type in the following records

Save the table

Open the ORDERS table and type in the following records

Save the table and close the database

24 This page intentionally left blank
Chapter 6. Forms

Working with Forms

Open a form
To open an existing form click on the forms icon on the left hand side of the screen. Then
double click on the name of the form you wish to open. Alternatively you can right click
on the name of the form and then click on Open.

Create and save a form

To create a form based on a table, first click on the forms icon on the left hand side. Then
click on Use Wizard to Create Form. Figure 20 illustrates the first screen of the wizard.

Figure 6.1. Screen 1 of the Form Wizard

Select the table you wish to base the form on by selecting it from the drop down box under
Tables or queries. Next select the fields you want the form to contain by clicking on them
and clicking on the > to move them across. If you want to select all fields click on the
double arrow >> and this will move all the fields across. Click the Next button. The second
screen of the wizard is to do with creating a subform. As we do not want to do this at this
stage leave it as it is and click the Next button.

Figure 21 shows the next screen of the wizard.

Figure 6.2. Arranging the controls on the form

26 Forms

Choose the label placement and layout that you want and click Next (Figure 22).

Figure 6.3. Select the data entry mode

Click on Next (Figure 23).

Figure 6.4. Apply a style to the form

Use a form to enter, modify, delete 27
records

Click Next to go to the final screen of the wizard (Figure 24).

Figure 6.5. Set the name of the form

Click on Finish to complete the setup of the form.

Use a form to enter, modify, delete records

Once the form has been created you can use it to enter data.

Double-click the form to open it for entering data. Enter the data by clicking in the box
next to the field name and entering the relevant information. If you wish to make changes
to a field, double-click in that field and make the necessary changes. If you want to delete a
record click on the delete record icon on the Form toolbar at the bottom of the screen.
28 Forms

Go to next record, previous record, first record, last record,

specific record using form display
To navigate between the various records in the form, use the arrows on the Form toolbar at
the bottom of the screen (Figure 25). These arrows look and function in the same way as
those in the editing table screen.

Figure 6.6. Form Toolbar

Add, modify text in Headers, Footers in a form

FIX ME

Delete a form
If you want to delete an existing form right-click on it and select Delete from the
drop-down options.

Save and close a form

When you have finished with the form click on the save button. Close the form by clicking
on the close icon (X) or by clicking on File > Close.
Chapter 7. Exercise 1
1. Use the form wizard to create a form based on the Customers table
2. Use all the fields
3. Use a layout with the labels on top of the columns
4. Choose a style of ice-blue with a 3D look
5. Name the form CUSTOMERS
6. Choose the option to work with the form
30 This page intentionally left blank
Chapter 8. Excercise 2
1. Open the CUSTOMERS form
2. Add the following customers using the form
3. Close the form
32 This page intentionally left blank
Chapter 9. Retrieving Information

Main Operations

Use the search command for a specific word, number, date in

a field
In table mode, you can search for a specific word, number or date in a field by opening the
table and then clicking on the Find Record button.

The following dialogue box will appear and you can enter the word, number or date you
want to search for and select which field to look in (Figure 26).

Figure 9.1. Searching for specific text in a field

Click on the Search button and a red box will appear around the word when it is found.

Apply a filter to a table, form

Filtering allows you to work with selected records. In other words the rest of the database
remains hidden while only the records you want to work with are visible.

There are four icons for filtering on the Standard Toolbar (Figure 27). The third one from
the left is the Default Filter button.
34 Retrieving Information

Figure 9.2. Filter Icons

Click on the Default Filter button and the dialogue box appears as in Figure 28.

Figure 9.3. Default Filter

You may now select the criteria for the filter as shown above. This will filter out the
records with Cape Town as the town and JD Wholesalers as the Name.

Remove a filter from a table, form

To remove the filter from a table, click on the last filter icon with the red X as per Figure
27 above.

Queries

Create and save a single table query, two-table query using

specific search criteria
Queries allow you to extract specific data from one or more tables and create a new,
separate table containing the selected data. For example, if you wanted to extract all the
customers in the Cape Town area from the database. To do this, first click on the Queries
icon on the left hand side. Click on Create Query in Design View. The Add tables dialogue
box appears. Click on Customers and click on the Add button.

Double-click on each field that you want to appear in the table. Next to criterion in the
Town column type in Cape Town see Figure 29.

Click on the Run Query icon on the toolbar.

Figure 29 illustrates what the end result should look like.

Figure 9.4. Single Table Query

 35

You can also use more than one table. For example you may want to list all the orders
along with the customer name and ID's. This would require information from both the
Customers table and the Orders table. Remember these tables have a relationship between
them based on the CustomerID field.

Create the query as above, but this time when you add the Customer table, click on the
Orders table and add it as well.

Now you can double-click on the fields you require from both tables and they will be
inserted accordingly. When you run the query it will look as in Figure 30.

Figure 9.5. Run a query using two tables

36 Retrieving Information

Add criteria to a query using any of the following operators:

<(Less than), <= (Less than or equals), > (Greater than), >= (G

In the previous example we used the = criterion by typing Cape Town into the Town
column. Other criterions as listed above can also be used. The example in Figure 31
illustrates a query with the town = Cape Town and the Order amount greater than or equal
to >= R200.

Figure 9.6. Run a query using two tables

Edit a query by adding, removing 37
criteria

Edit a query by adding, removing criteria

Once the query has been created it can easily be edited. Right-click on the query name and
select Edit. This will open up the query in edit mode allowing you to make the necessary
changes. Once done save and run the query.

Edit a query: add, remove, move, hide, unhide fields

If you want to add or remove a field, right-click on the query name and select Edit to take
you into edit mode. Add or remove a field as you wish.

You will notice from the examples in Figures 29, 30 and 31 above you have a checkbox
that allows you to make a field Visible or, if you remove the tick in the checkbox, hides
that particular field.

Run a query
As explained above, once you have created your query click on the Run query button to
execute it.

Delete a query
38 Retrieving Information

If you wish to delete a query, right-click on it and select delete.

Save and close a query

When you have finished the design of your query click on the save button and give it a
name. Click on File > Close to exit the query.

Sort Records

Sort data in a table, form, query output, in ascending,

descending numeric, alphabetic order
Data can be sorted according to numeric or alphabetical order. Open the table and click on
the Sort button.

The dialogue box (Figure 32) appears. You can select your sort criteria from here as
shown.

Figure 9.7. Sorting Data in a Table

Chapter 10. Exercise 1
1. Create a query using the Name, Town, and telephone number where the Town = Cape
Town
2. Run the query
3. Save the query as Cape Town Tel Nos
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Chapter 11. Exercise 2
1. Create a query in design view using both the CUSTOMERS and ORDERS tables
2. Use the fields CustomerID and Name from the CUSTOMERS table and the fields
OrderID, Date and Amount from the ORDERS table
3. Run the query
4. Save the query as Orders
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Chapter 12. Exercise 3
1. Create a query as in steps 1 and 2 in Exercise 2
2. Set criteria under CustomerID to = customer 1001 only and in OrderAmount to be
>400
3. Run the query
4. Remove the criterion >400 from OrderAmount
5. Run the query
6. Close the query and do not save it
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Chapter 13. Reports

Working with Reports

Create and save a report based on a table, query

Reports are very similar to queries except that when you create a report it is laid out in a
printable format (hard copy).

To create a report in OOBase click on the Reports icon on the left hand side and then click
on 'Use Wizard to Create Report'.

The first dialogue box of the Report Wizard appears as in Figure 33.

Figure 13.1. The First Screen of the Report Wizard

This screen allows you to select the Table or Query you want to use to base your report on.
Click on the arrow in the box underneath Tables of Queries and select the appropriate one.

Next you need to select the fields. You will see them listed in the Available Fields box.
Click on the first field you want in your report and click the arrow > to put it into the box
with the heading Fields in Report. Click on the next field and do the same until all the
fields you want are displayed on the right hand side.

Click on the Next button to go to the second screen of the Wizard (Figure ).

Figure 13.2. Labelling the fields

46 Reports

This screen checks to see how you want to label the fields in the report. You can leave the
labels as they are and click Next.

Figure 13.3. Add Grouping Levels

Figure 35 gives you the option to add grouping levels. This means that you can group
records according to the values in one or more fields. You select the fields by clicking on
them and clicking the arrow > to move them into the Groupings box. You can group up to
four fields in a report. If you do not wanting Grouping leave this box as it is and click on
Next.

Figure 13.4. Sorting the data

 47

The screens lets you choose how you want the data to be sorted based on specific fields.
For example in Figure 36 above the data will be sorted according to the Name field from
A-Z (Ascending). A second field could be specified and so on with up to four fields. If you
don't need to sort the data into any particular order then leave this screen as it is and click
on Next.

Figure 13.5. The appearance of the report

You can choose an appearance for your report by selecting the layout of the data aqnd the
layout of the headers and footers as per Figure 37 above.

You can also choose whether you want the report to print in Portrait or Landscape by
clicking on the relevant option. When you have made your decision click on Next.
48 Reports

Figure 13.6. The final screen of the report wizard

The screen in Figure 38 shows the final screen of the report wizard. All you need to do
here is to select whether you want a static or a dynamic report and how you want to
proceed after creating the report. A Static report will create a document that will contain
the same data from the time the report was created every time you open it whereas a
Dynamic report will create a template which, when opened, will create a template which it
will fill with the current data contents.

If there is nothing you want to change click on Finish and OOBase will create the report.

Change arrangement of data fields and headings within a

report layout
You can change the arrangements of the data fields and headings when you are creating the
report in the Report Wizard and also when you have finished creating it.

In the wizard you have the option to move fields around in the first screen as in Figure 39.

Figure 13.7. Rearranging fields in a report

Group data under a specific 49
heading (field) in a report in

Sort data in a table, form,

If you click on the field name and then click on the up or down arrows on the right you can
change the position of that field in the report.

When you get to the last screen of the creation of the report you also have the option to
Modify the report before you click on Finish (see Figure 38). This enables you to edit the
page styles for the first and subsequent pages, paragraph styles, number formats, printed
label fields etc.

Alternatively, if you have already created the report, simply right-click on the report name
and choose Edit. This will open up the report in writer format and allow you to change the
design as in the previous paragraph.

Group data under a specific heading (field) in a report in

ascending, descending order
Grouping data was covered in 5.5.1.1. See Figures 35 and 36.

Present specific fields in a grouped report by sum, minimum,

maximum, average, count, at appropriate break points
FIX ME

Add, modify text in Headers, Footers in a report

Modifying the text in the headers and footers would be done by right-clicking on the report
and choosing edit. The same procedure as mentioned in 5.5.1.2.

Delete a report
You delete a report the same way as a table, form or query by right-clicking on the report
name and choosing delete.

Save and close a report

To save the report click on the save button. Once you have saved it and can click on File >
50 Reports

Close.
Chapter 14. Excercise 1
1. Create a report based on the Customers table
2. Use all the fields in the table
3. Leave the labels as they are
4. Sort by CustomerID and then by Name
5. Choose a layout and make sure Landscape is selected
6. Call the report CUSTOMERS, make it a dynamic report and select Create report now
52 This page intentionally left blank
Chapter 15. Excercise 2
1. Create a report based on the ORDERS query
2. Use all the fields in the query
3. Leave the labels as they are
4. Choose a layout and make sure Landscape is selected
5. Call the report ORDERS
6. Print one copy of the report
54 This page intentionally left blank
Chapter 16. Prepare Outputs

Prepare to Print

Preview a table, form, report

You may wish to preview a report before you print it. To do this open the report and click
on File > Page Preview. This will give you an accurate representation of what the report
will look like when printed. Click on Close Preview to exit and go back to the normal view
of the report.

Change report orientation: portrait, landscape. Change paper

size
To change the orientation of the report right-click on the report name and choose Edit. This
will open the report in Writer which allows you to make the necessary page layout
changes. Click on Format > Page > Page to make the desired changes.

Print Options

Print a page, selected record(s), complete table

To print selected records in OpenOffice.org you would have to run a report that would
select the required records and then print it. The same would apply if you wanted to print
the complete table.

Print all records using form layout, specific pages using form
layout
FIX ME

Print the result of a query

To print the result of a query you would have to create a report based on that query and
then print it.

Print specific page(s) in a report, complete report

First generate the report and then print as normal by clicking on File > Print. If you want to
print a specific page, type it into the dialog box and click OK or else simply click on OK to
print the entire report.
56 This page intentionally left blank
Chapter 17. Excercise 1
1. Create a query that gives the CustomerNo, Name, Address and details of all orders for
the customer 1002
2. Save the query as CUST1002
3. Generate a report on query CUST1002
4. Print the report
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Chapter 18. Excercise 2
1. Create a query that gives a list of customers and their orders details, but only for
orders >200
2. Save the query as OVER200
3. Create a query that gives all details from the CUSTOMERS table for Customer 1005
only
4. Save the query as CUST1005
5. Generate a report on query CUST1005
6. Print the report
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