Base DB opens as write document

I am so disappointed. Everything worked two days ago. Today I need some information and my BASE DB is opening as Write document. It even asked me if I would like to fix it…I choose YES. Now what?
Please help me…

Version: 5.1.4.2
Build ID: f99d75f39f1c57ebdd7ffc5f42867c12031db97a
CPU Threads: 2; OS Version: Windows 6.2; UI Render: default;
Locale: en-US (en_US)

Thanks in advance.
Monjur

Can you not restore from your last backup? (Hopefully in the future Base will make it easier to make backups with a one click backup, e.g. MS Access has a simple one click backup that I have used thousands of times over the years and has saved me many dozens of times after something just went bonk, as it does from time to time, no matter how careful I am.)

I don’t know any backup…
Do you know where to find backup? Is there a way to setup for auto backup?

There is a macro in the Base documentation to backup embedded DB’s with a click on the toolbar. The problem is - Why is anyone using an embedded DB (except for quick test or sample)???

@MQ-818, “I don’t know any backup… Do you know where to find backup? Is there a way to setup for auto backup?” A2: No. A1: Suit yourself, but I think you need to backup, one way or another. This is a subject beyond the scope of Base. I spent my first months on Linux figuring out how to do good backups. On Windows it’s easier. Over the years I’ve backed up Windows files many ways. At the moment I use and like Acronis to a 2nd hard drive as it can be done in the background.

It’s an educated guess that this is an embedded Base file and not a split DB. If so, there is probably little if anything that can be done through the forum to repair this. However, there may be a way to save your data/tables.

First way to access data is from Calc. Open a new Calc document. If the DB was NOT registered, you must first register it. From the menu Tools->Options. In left column expand LibreOffice Base. Select Databases. In right pane, click New and point to your .odb file (use browse) then Open then OK. You should be back to the Calc screen.

With a registered DB, use Ctl & Shift & F4 (or View->Datasources from menu) to view datasources. If you see your DB there, click the arrow on the left of the name to expand,and then you will see Tables/Queries. Expand Tables, double click the table name and the data should appear on the right. You can now extract data/tables into the spreadsheet.

If you can get at the tables in Calc, you can most likely recover the tables and data within.

First use a copy of the problem .odb file. Using an archive program (or change the extention to .zip) extract the files to a temporary directory. Next, create an empty split DB using the instructions found AT THIS POST. Copy from the extracted directory the files in the database subfolder the “backup, data, properties, script” files to the blank split DB subfolder database. You can delete any other files which were there already from the creation. Then rename each of these file to the name you gave the split DB - “backup” becomes “NEWDBNAME.backup”, “data” becomes NEWDBNAME.data", “properties” becomes NEWDBNAME.properties" and “script” becomes NEWDBNAME.script".

After renaming, open the split DB. If all went well, the tables should be available.

Finally, always backup your information - preferrably to a removable device and now on the same device it already resides on. Critical or necessary DB’s should be in a split DB not embedded. There are some known potential problems during opening/closing embedded DB’s.

Thanks for getting back.
Is there any youtube video that I can follow ?
or Is it possible to have (1,2,3 type) step by step easy to follow guide?

Sorry novice user here.

Unfortunately the two processes presented are already step by step but there is nothing easy about trying to recover information like this. Trying to recover information from a broken .odb is not an everyday situation. Whatever is wrong could one or more of a multitude of things. What is presented will not fully recover your file but possibly just the table data.

I learned a way to connect LOBase to MySQL. (ODBC Unicode Driver)

Would it prevent me from this type of head ache?
Please advice!!!

Actually, keeping the data separated from the rest is the first step. Use whichever DB you want. My main is MySQL (use JDBC not ODBC) but I also use HSQL split (mentioned in the answer), HSQL server and testing with others. You also need other backup methods. Disk, partition or just backup files of critical importance to some media other than where it resides - i.e. an external drive, DVD etc. I back up everything every other week and perform other backups as needed.

“Ctl & Alt & F4” in Debian/Ubuntu is used to switch to terminal #4. Get back to GUI w/ Ctl & Alt & 7. But View->Datasources works. Thanks!

Sorry, it’s Ctl & Shift & F4. Corrected answer.

@MQ-818 if your .odb doesn’t contain any personal or confidential data, post a copy in your question and I’ll take a look at it. No promises on what can be done.