Starr Paul wrote:
HELP!
I'm working with the new database in OpenOffice and
I'm hitting some snags. I'm trying to adapt the
database to power a desk-top EMR that we can use to
assist the Katrina recovery efforts in New Orleans; I
want to offer an open EMR to area physicians that we
can coordinate with the local health department. I
wish that I could use OpenEMR or OpenVista, but I just
can't deal with raw SQL and I am working under a
deadline with no help!
Please forward this plea to the right people:
1. How can one import a table into the database?
That's a pretty broad question. Where is the data coming from?
Spreadsheet? CSV? ODBC? The basic idea is that you need to have a link
to the data, and you need to have a destination for the data. Where is
your data going? ( into OpenOffice's database storage thing, or into a
database server? )
2. How can you cut and paste records into a table?
To be honest, I haven't done any cutting and pasting of records in the
database part of OOo. I've only looked very briefly at it. But I assume
cutting and pasting of records works. What are you trying, and what has
happened?
3. Is there any way to prevent the dramatic crashes
that happen? The rest of OpenOffice has an extremely
forgiving recovery process that doesn't seem to extend
to the database....when it crashes it burns!
You might want to put your data in a database server, which will protect
your data from OOo crashes. MySQL is good for this. As for the crashes,
you'll have to submit bug reports - *specific* bug reports. I'm not
denying that crashes happen, but we can't really help you when you're so
vague.
4. Does anyone want to fly down to help?
I'm in Australia. If I was in the US, after I finished crying with my
head in my knees, then yes, I'd consider flying down and trying to make
up for the complete lack of federal government interest. It's amazing
how much they can spend protecting their people from phantom WOMD and
terrorist boogy men, and yet look the other way when a *real* situation
materialises.
To be perfectly honest, it sounds like you're in over your head. While
I'm an OpenOffice advocate and hate MS Access with a passion, it might
be wise for you to find yourself a copy ( a legal copy, of course
officer ... ) of Access and get on with the work. Access is far more
user-friendly and stable than OOo's database component at the moment,
and has wizards for importing data etc. If I were in your position, I'd
bite the bullet, get the job done with Access, and then learn to use
alternatives when you aren't so pressed for time. After all, there's
time for learning and frigging around, and there's time for action. It
sounds like it's time for action for you. You can get hold of a
'developer' version of Office that includes a packaging wizard that
allows you to create installation packages that install a 'run-time'
version of Access on as many computers as you want. So if you want to do
this the legal way, you only have to pay for Office once, and you can
install Access run-time and your database application on as many
computers as you want. Access isn't perfect, but then again, as you've
discovered, OOo's database module isn't perfect either. At least OOo's
database module will improve with time. I've watched 10 years of Access
development go absolutely nowhere.
Just to demonstrate that I'm no Access fan-boy, here's a link to my own
database solution: http://entropy.homelinux.org/axis_not_evil
Note that I'm not recommending that you use this - it's targetted at
people who are comfortable with SQL ( you say that you're not ), and
have time to learn.
--
Daniel Kasak
IT Developer
NUS Consulting Group
Level 5, 77 Pacific Highway
North Sydney, NSW, Australia 2060
T: (+61) 2 9922-7676 / F: (+61) 2 9922 7989
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
website: http://www.nusconsulting.com.au
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