How to Import a Spreadsheet Into an OpenOffice Database

OpenOffice 3.2 does not have an import wizard for spreadsheets. But it is possible to copy spreadsheet data from a Microsoft Excel file or an OpenOffice spreadsheet file into a new table in an OpenOffice database. Your new spreadsheet table can then be used in OpenOffice SQL queries, forms and other OpenOffice database features.

Instructions

1

Open the spreadsheet file and select the spreadsheet tab that contains the data you want to move to the OpenOffice table. Use your mouse to select the cell range containing the data you want to copy. Right-click on the selected data, and click on "Copy." This will copy the selected data to the system clipboard.

2

Open the OpenOffice database file you want to contain the copied data. Click on the "Tables" icon on the left-side navigation pane to go to the "Tables" view. Select "Edit" from the menu bar then select "Paste." The "Copy Table" dialog will appear. Enter a name for the table in the "Table Name" field. In the Options section, make sure "Definition and Data" is selected. If the data you selected in the spreadsheet has column names at the top, be sure to check the "Use first line as column names" check box. This will copy the column headers into the field names of the new table.

3

Click the "Next" button to go to the "Apply Columns" dialog box. This dialog lets you select which columns of the copied data you want to create in the new database table. In most case, you will want to click the ">>" button to select all columns. If you want to copy over only selected columns, click the column name on the left side then click the ">" button to move it to the right side of the dialog. When you have selected all the columns you want, click "Create." You may be asked if you want to create a primary key for the table. Click "Yes" unless you want to use one of the existing columns as the primary key.

4

Double-click on the table name in the lower half of the Tables view of the database window to verify that the data has been successfully copied. This will open up the table so you can view all of the records in the table. When you have finished verifying the data, close the Table window then save the database file.