Multi User Databases!

[leisureelectronics]

I am new to Open Office and need help! I have a database that I have created to track and monitor calls but several people need to access/edit the database and I can't figure out how to do this can anyone help or advise please????

[RonIA]

Unfortunately, right now the OO.o Base backend database engine is a single user database. You can however use other database engines that are multi-user... One that springs to mind is MySQL.

[leisureelectronics]

Thanks I suspected that was going to be the answer!!

[RonIA]

With there were a better answer. But, give OO.o another year or two... Compared to MS Access OO.o Base is still a bit raw, but MS Access has been out there for 12+ years. OO.o Base has been out there about 2 years. With a couple of revisions, I am sure it will start to give MS Access a better run for its money, just like the other applications in the suite.

[TerryE]

In one sense Base already supports Multi-user databases — in that you can link to an external D/B. Intrinsically the ODB format is a document format and one in which only one person can one it read-write. If you open an ODB file with your favourite ZIP GUI you will see that the ZIP container includes a folder called database which contains the HSQLDB database.

So there is nothing to stop you implementing an architecture where you distribute your application as an ODB document which contains all of your forms, basic code, fixed reference tables, any specific to user tables and map into any shared tables through JDBC or ODBC. You don't need to use a client server D/B such as MySQL. There is nothing to stop you using a D/B product which uses file sharing and intra-file locking (as long as you only have a few concurrent users because such architecture do not scale well).

A good example of this type of product is the MS Jet engine which is called "MS Access Database"in the ODBC Data Source Administrator, but in fact you use this on any MS windows system, with your D/B on an NTFS fileshare. You don't need Access installed. However, in the Linux world you are probably safer sticking with a mainstream product such as MySQL. This also has the advantage that this solution is largely platform agnostic.