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OpenOffice Base and MS Access Files

In her series of OpenOffice.org articles for SearchOpenSource.com, Solveig Haugland writes OpenOffice Base: Converting data and files from Access.

Liberating MS Access files by opening and converting them into Base’s native ODF file formats is a large piece of the open standards and compatibility puzzle, and Solveig shows how to do it with ease.

6 Responses to “OpenOffice Base and MS Access Files”

  1. Nelson Greenleaves Says:
    January 13th, 2007 at 2:07 am

    I have recently installed OpenOffice on my Mac. Since installing, I have been wondering if it is possible to convert files created in OpenOffice Base to MS Access format. Moreover, will Base format files open in Access?

    Any feedback/relevent information would be greatly appreciated.

    If applicable, please reply to the email address noted above.

    Nelson Greenleave

  2. Benjamin Horst Says:
    January 13th, 2007 at 12:41 pm

    From what I understand, MS Access cannot read OpenOffice Base files. And it seems unlikely that Microsoft will make the effort to become compatible here.

    I don’t think that Base can save files in Access format, either.

    Unfortunately, I don’t have access to Access to test these questions thoroughly myself.

    I suggest searching or asking the question on the OpenOffice forum to see if someone with more experience and knowledge in this area can help: http://www.oooforum.org/

  3. Matthew Says:
    March 19th, 2008 at 10:19 am

    I know this is old, but for anyone seeking the answer to this, do the following:

    Open up Calc (Spreadsheet)
    In Base, select “Tables” tab and click/drag the table you want to the blank Calc page.
    Save as Excel (.xls) file
    Import in Access
    Voila!

  4. Twanda Says:
    July 23rd, 2008 at 11:09 pm

    Thanks for posting Matthew. That worked for me except after dragging and dropping into calc, I had to copy from calc n ‘paste special’, then select ‘text’ from the box that appeared. I wouldn’t have figured that out without you. I read many posts and none of the directions worked. Thanks a million for sharing.

  5. Leon Says:
    October 22nd, 2008 at 12:18 pm

    Thanks for your advice, Matthew. I’ve been trying to convert a database for a while, but nothing worked. I tried your suggestion and it works perfectly!

  6. KC Says:
    August 1st, 2009 at 5:34 pm

    And what about the other way arround? How can I open an access file in Base?