Easy connection to remote database

[GeorgesDupéron]

I am creating a small libreoffice base “application”, and it needs to connect to a remote (centralized) database.

The .odb file will be shared with multiple people that have little technical knowledge, and it would be best if they could simply open the .odb file with a standard installation of LibreOffice, and use it without further configuration (perhaps just supplying the password to connect to the database).

Currently, we use the MySql database backend, and people which want to use the .odb file have to install jdbc or odbc along with some version of Java, and what was supposed to be a “open the attachment and start working now” e-mail is becoming an increasingly complex tutorial on how to install these components that, in my mind, only programmers and database admins should see.

Question

Is there a simple remote database backend in libreoffice base that will connect to a remote database (preferably a freeware/open-source one, which can be installed under linux, but we can probably cope with something windows-only) without requiring any steps from the “user” of the .odb file (other than supplying the database password if needed). ?

[mariosv]

Hi @Georges, seems that postgreSQL do not need JDBC or ODBC to connect, take a look in this thread Generic form of URL for PostgreSQL

On other hand Firebird will be default database for LIbreOffice in a few months, but the SDBC connector is not finished yet, so it is needed a JDBC or ODBC to connect.

[GeorgesDupéron]

Thanks for this answer! As a note for other readers, under ubuntu you have to run sudo apt-get install libreoffice-sdbc-postgresql in order to have PostgreSQL appear in the “Connect to an existing database” drop-down menu, and I guess the procedure should be similar for other flavours of linux.

[ValerioHB]

There’s a MySql native connector extention than access to mySql serve without jdbc/odbc connectors. Just open your .odb, insert your pwd and you have access to mySql databases and tables…
I use it for long time, but it at the moment it doesn’t work on LibreOffice 4.1 (linux openSuse 13.1)!!!

[PhLo]

Unfortunately the native MySQL connector extension no longer works in recent LibreOffice installs because it was written in 32-bit. Many people these days have a 64-bit operating system and a 64-bit LibreOffice installation. The extension still works if you choose a 32-bit LO installation, but I’m concerned that won’t be an option forever. It would be great if someone updated the native MySQL connector to work with 64-bit. Unfortunately I don’t have the necessary knowledge to write extensions.

[PhLo]

Right now I’m going through the major pain of installing a remote MySQL connection - aka with shared hosting, not on my computer. It’s a major pain. While connecting to a local MySQL installation via XAMPP in Windows via “localhost” worked like a charm, I get all sorts of connection problems, timeouts, access not allowed, and timezone issues trying to connect to MySQL on a remote server. No one seems to talk about this. People only talk about local MySQL installs.