Ch 9 Starting with LibreOffice Base Notes Important Points
Ch 9 Starting with LibreOffice Base Notes Important Points
Introduction
LibreOffice Base is a free and open source DBMS. It can be downloaded from www.libreoffice.org. Data which we stored in DBMS can be a text, number, date or in any other form. So, we need to understand different types of data that can be stored in a table.
Data Types
A data type refers to the type of data that will be stored in that particular field. The memory size of a field varies according to its data type. Some commonly used data types are :
1. Text Data Type –
The text data is a combination of letters, numbers or special characters. No arithmetic calculations can be performed on text data. Examples of text data type is PAN Card Number, Name, Marks, etc. Various types of Text data types are:
| Name | Data type | Description |
| Memo | LONGVARCHAR | It is used to store some descriptive data having more than 255 characters. It can store text data up to 64,000 characters. |
| Text (fix) | CHAR | It is used to enter fixed number of characters specified by the user. It can be used for license number, passport number as they have fixed number of characters. |
| Text | VARCHAR | It Stores upto the specified length. The number of bytes consumed depends on the number of characters entered by the user. For example, the address is defined as varchar (50), and if the address entered by the user is of 20 characters then only 20 bytes will be occupied in the database. |
2. Numeric Data Type –
Numeric data types consists of numbers. The numbers can be integer or real numbers on which any type of arithmetic calculations can be performed. Following table shows different numeric data types
| Name | Data Type | Range |
| Tiny Integer | TYNYINT | 0-255 |
| Small Integer | SMALLINT | -32768 to 32768 |
| Integer | INTEGER | -2.14×109 to 2.14×109 |
| BigInt | BIGINT | -2.3×1018 to 2.3×1018 |
| Number | NUMERIC | Unlimited |
| Decimal | DECIMAL | Unlimited |
| Float | FLOAT | |
| Real | REAL | 5×10(-324) to 1.79×10(308) |
| Double | DOUBLE |
3. Currency Data Type –
The currency data type is used to store the numeric values with symbol of currencies of various countries. For example $100, £ 500 or Rs. 25.50.
4. Date Data Type –
This data type is used to store dates and time. For example 12/25/2019, 08:45 AM. Following table shows various forms of date data type.
| Name | Description |
| Date | Stores the year, month and day as it is stored in the system. |
| Time | Stores the time of the day as hour, minute and second. |
| Timestamp | Stores date and time information at once |
5. Boolean Data Type –
In boolean data type there can be only two values- True or False, Yes or No
6. Binary Data Type –
The Binary data type used to store digitized images and sounds that comes as long string of zeros and ones.
Field Properties :
To set the field properties: Select the table > Right click > Select the option Edit > the table will open in Design View.
In design view there are different properties of fields according to the data type set for each field.
The properties of numeric type data is given below :
1) AutoValue – if set to yes then field will get the auto numeric values.
2) AutoValue – if set to yes then field will get the auto numeric values.
3) Length – By default length of the field is 10 but the size of the field can be set to maximum length.
4) Default Value – A default value can be set for a field if user don’t provide any value while entering the values in the table.
5) Format – This property helps to set the format of the data entered in the field such as 91-222-333.
The properties of character type data is shown below :
1) Entry Required – if set to yes then it will be must to insert the value in the field.
2) Length – By default length of the field is 10 but the size of the field can be set to maximum length.
3) Default Value – A default value can be set for a field if user don’t provide any value while entering the values in the table.
4) Format – This property helps to set the format of the data entered in the field such as 91-222-333.
Starting with LibreOffice Base
1. In Windows, click Start > LibreOffice or double click on the LibreOffice icon on the desktop.
2. A Database Wizard opens as shown below
3. We want to create a new database, so click Create a new database radio button and click Next button
NOTE: If any database that has already been created is to be opened, then select Open an Existing Database
4. The Next step gives the option to register our database with LibreOffice.org. Click and select the radio button with option, ‘No, do not register the database’.
NOTE: If we register the database, then our database is made public and hence can be accessed by other people.
5. This step also asks whether you want to open the database for editing or want to create a table using the wizard.
6. Click Finish button. The Save As dialog box appears.
7. Select the location and type the name in the File name text box and click on Save button.
NOTE: The database in Base is saved with an extension .odb. The default name of database is New Database.odb.
User Interface of Libre Office Base
The various components of the Base User Interface are:
Title Bar – The title bar displays the name of a database and an application in which it is made.
Menu Bar – The menu bar appears below the title bar. It consists of seven menu items – File, Edit, View, Insert, Tools, Window and Help.
Standard Toolbar – It is located below the menu bar.
Status Bar – It is located at the bottom of the interface window. It displays information about the type of view of the object in the database.
Database Pane – The database pane is located on the left side of the window. It shows data objects like Tables,
Forms, Queries, Reports
Creating a Table using a Wizard
1. Select “Use Wizard to create a table” option from the Tasks Pane. The Table Wizard dialog box will open.
2. The Table Wizard of Base consists of ready-made tables. Select any one table, say Customer.
3. After selecting the Customer table, The required fields from Available fields box can be shifted one by one to Selected fields box using > button or in one stroke by clicking on >> button.
4. Click on Next button and set types and formats.
5. Click on Next button and set Primary key.
6. Click on Next button, that will take you to the complete the process of creating table using wizard and finally click on Finish button.
Setting the Primary Key
To make a particular field as the primary key, place the mouse pointer before the field name, and right click. A pop up menu appears and Select the Primary Key option. A key icon appears before the field name indicating that it is a primary key.
Saving a Table
1. To save the table click on the save button or click File > Save As or press Ctrl + S from the keyboard.
2. A Save As dialog box is displayed. Enter the name of table and click on OK button.
Entering Data in a Table
To enter data in the table, double click on the created table icon in the Tables Object Area on the database screen. Alternatively, we can open the table by right clicking on the desired table and then selecting the Open option from the drop down menu. The datasheet view of the table will appear. In this view, we can enter the records
Navigating through the Table
To navigate through various records of the table, we use the navigation box present at the bottom of the datasheet window as shown below.
The various components of Navigation Box are as follows:
Record Selector Box – This is the text box where the currently active record number is displayed. We may enter the record number that we want to see in this text box.
Navigation Buttons – These are used to scroll vertically in the table.
- Press |â—„ button to move to the first record.
- Press â–º and â—„ to move to the next and previous records respectively.
- Press â–º| button to move to the last record.
Editing Data
To edit or modify the entered data, place the cursor on the field value that has to be edited to edit and enter the new value. The Edit icon appears before the record that is being edited. This icon is displayed till the table is saved after making the required changes.
NOTE: Press Esc key to cancel the corrections made and restore the original contents.
Deleting Records from Table
Open the table and select the record to be deleted. Now press del key from the keyboard or selecting the Delete Record option from the Edit menu or right clicking on the record and clicking on the Delete Rows option from the pop up menu.
NOTE: Attempting to delete the record will display the Confirmation box. Clicking on Yes button will finally delete the record, while clicking on the No button will not delete the record.
Sorting Data in the Table
Data in a table can be arranged in ascending or descending order. This process of arranging the records in particular order on any filed is called as sorting. Steps to sort the table are:
1. Open the Event table in datasheet view and select the field on which you want to sort.
2. From the tool bar click Sort Ascending or Sort Descending icon to sort in ascending or descending order respectively.
NOTE: To sort the table based on more than one fields. In such case, click Sort icon on the toolbar.
Closing LibreOffice Base
To close the application window of LibreOffice Base, click on the File > Close or click on the cross (x) button of the LibreOffice Base window.
SUMMARY 1. Base is a free and open source database component of LibreOffice suit. 2. It can be downloaded from www.libreoffice.org 3. A data type refers to the type of data that will be stored in that particular field. 4. Various data types in Base can be categorized into Text, Numeric, Currency and Date. 5. LibreOffice Base is the collection of related data objects known as Tables, Forms, Queries, Reports and application modules. 6. Depending on the object that is selected, the respective Task Pane and Object Area displaying the created object appears on the User Interface Window. 7. A table in LibreOffice Base can be created using a wizard or using the Design view.
Important links of Class X (IT – 402)
Unit 1: Digital Documentation (Advanced) using LibreOffice Writer
Chapter 1. Introduction to Styles – NOTES
Chapter 1. Introduction to Styles – Question Answers
Chapter 2. Working with Images – NOTES
Chapter 2. Working with Images – Question Answers
Chapter 3. Advanced features of Writer – NOTES
Chapter 3. Advanced features of Writer – Question Answers
Unit 2: Electronic Spreadsheet (Advanced) using LibreOffice Calc
Chapter 4. Analyse Data using Scenarios and Goal Seek – NOTES
Chapter 4. Analyse Data using Scenarios and Goal Seek – Question Answers
Chapter 5. Using Macros in Spreadsheet – NOTES
Chapter 5. Using Macros in Spreadsheet – Question Answers
Chapter 6. Linking Spreadsheet Data – NOTES
Chapter 6. Linking Spreadsheet Data – Question Answers
Chapter 7. Share and Review a Spreadsheet – NOTES
Chapter 7. Share and Review a Spreadsheet – Question Answers
Chapter 8. Introduction to DBMS – NOTES
Chapter 8. Introduction to DBMS – Question Answers
UNIT 1: DIGITAL DOCUMENTATION (ADVANCED) – MCQ
UNIT-2: ELECTRONIC SPREADSHEET (ADVANCED) – MCQ
UNIT-3 RELATIONAL DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (BASIC) – MCQ
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