Talk:OpenOffice.org/Base

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[edit] About application Usability

This program has proven to be completely counter-intuitive and a nuisance in general. I hate to choose Microsoft over open source, but there's really no excuse for how difficult they've made it to create a simple database. (unsigned)

What version did you not like? I think usability fits more in the wikibook about Openoffice base at OpenOffice.org Base. Since v.2.0 to 2.3 things have changed extremely much, and I could not follow a tutorial which was for v.2.0. 85.74.177.113 (talk) 08:00, 6 February 2008 (UTC)
I don't know what is so hard for you about making a simple database, I had no problems with that, and found it rather easy. 218.17.216.172 (talk) 05:42, 28 August 2008 (UTC)
While I'm not the original poster, I'm pretty pissed off at how difficult it is to use, too. I *want* to use open source, and OpenOffice to replace Access, but it's clunky. Here's what happened to me today:
  • Upgraded to the "latest and greatest": OpenOffice 3.0.
  • Created two tables, one with a primary key, the other without. Took me 10 minutes to figure out that I couldn't enter data into the second one because I didn't have a primary key. Yes, there's a warning, but it appears to be identical to the one that Access uses, complaining about no primary key. Only, in Access, saying no to the dialog doesn't prevent data entry later.
  • Okay, fine, I need a primary key for each table. I can live with that. It is good practice, but since I've now got to add a key I don't want to my table, surely I make it an autonumber. Wrong. I can't, for some inexplicable reason. I consult the help. Okay, so they're called "AutoValues" here, who cares? But the only help for AutoValues is under "Table Design", where it tells me that after setting up my primary key, I can make it an AutoValue. Only it doesn't work. Poking around on the internet show that other people have issues with AutoValue, but not my issue. Eventually, I find a forum on OO.o that clues me in, but I can't post my question, because I don't want to register. So much for openness... Similar fate for all other avenues. I want to post a bug, so that somebody will *fix* something, making my life easier, but no dice... Turns out, the problem is that I've selected the "Numeric" data type, not "Integer", and "Numeric" doesn't allow AutoValues. Obvious, right? I'm sure glad the help mentioned that. Even knowing what the problem is, I'm still pissed. In Access I'd be dealing with "Autonumber" and "Numeric" (with various sub-types), but apparently, the OO developers decided that it would be obvious that "Numeric" in Access != "Numeric" in OO.
  • So, I have a solution, but OO has made me work a whole lot more that I want to just for basic parity with Access. Sorry OpenOffice, it's gonna be another release cycle or two before I recommend Base as a replacement for Access!


help tells me I can make

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