[Solved] Import MS Works wdb database files into OOo Base

[mkerry]

Welcome beginner. Please answer all of the questions below which may provide information necessary to answer your question.
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From Mkerry

I am using OpenOffice ver 2.4
My operating system is MS Windows Vista Home Premium SP1.

I have MS Works Version 8.5 and have created an address book using MS Works, the resultant file is "address book.wdb" .
How do I import this into OO Base?. I have tried but get a window asking me to select a filter but MS Works database is not in the list.
Is there a filter available for me to add to the list?

Please can anyone help?
Thankyou
Maurice

[TheGurkha]

Hi and welcome to the forums.

If you still have access to Works it might be easier to export it from Works to a format that is in the OOo drop down list. I don't have works so I can't check but I would expect it to be able to export to some of the common formats supported by Base.

[thomasjk]

Export your file in .dbf format. Base can work with .dbf but not .wdb format.

[TheGurkha]

If that answers your question please go to your first post and use the Edit button, and add [Solved] to the start of your title, and select the green tick icon.

[Arineckaig]

There is another method for importing Works DB data into Base which I have found to be simpler and more reliable in that it avoids the potential complications with the .dbf route. Open the Works DB file in List View; click the top left corner to select all; copy and paste into a new OOo Calc file. Usually you can simply click OK on the Text Import dialog, and all the data will appear without errors, but as text, in the Calc file.

The field headings row, however, will not have been copied across. Insert a new row at the top of the Calc file, and type in the field headings. This should be no great problem provided there were not too many fields in your Works DB file.

Once you have the data in a Calc spreadsheet it can readily be imported into a OOo Base table.

I have no experience of Works 8, but have had no problems with Works7 nor with the more reliable Works4a. I would advise keeping your Works DB as a back-up file as it is quite easy initially to lose data in Base until you have gained experience with it.