LibreOffice Base

LibreOffice Base is a free and open-source relational database management system that is part of the LibreOffice office suite. LibreOffice Base was built off of a fork of OpenOffice.org and was first released as version 3.4.0.1 on October 4, 2011.[4]

LibreOffice Base
LibreOffice 6.0.6.2 running on Ubuntu 16.04
Developer(s)The Document Foundation
Stable release
  • Community: 7.1.0 (3 February 2021 (2021-02-03)[1])
  • Enterprise:[2] 7.0.4 [±]
Repository
Operating systemLinux, FreeBSD, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows
TypeRDBMS
LicenseMPLv2.0 (secondary license GPL, LGPLv3+ or Apache License 2.0)[3]
Websitewww.libreoffice.org/discover/base/

Similarly to the other packages in the LibreOffice suite, Base is supported across multiple platforms including Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux. Base is recognized for its cross-platform compatibility relative to Microsoft Access, which is developed exclusively for Windows.[5]

Features

LibreOffice Base is designed to allow users to easily create, access, modify, and view databases and their data. This is done by providing users with a graphical user interface that allows users to work with four main tools: Tables, queries, forms, and reports.[6][7] Base includes software wizards to assist users with various aspects of the program.[8][9]

Creating Table in Libreoffice Base

Base is able to work with both embedded and external database files. Embedded databases are stored as a single file using C++ based Firebird and Java-based HSQLDB as its storage engine. When connecting to external databases, Base acts as a graphical user interface front-end to facilitate interactions with various database systems, including Microsoft Access databases (JET), ODBC/JDBC data sources, MySQL, MariaDB, and PostgreSQL.[7]

Base has been described as an unusual project in the niche of database management system software, which tends toward proprietary software designed for enterprise users.[6] Proprietary database management software costs have been described as a reason for the use of Base in small businesses.[10]

Migration From HSQLDB to Firebird

Work was started in 2014 to transition the embedded storage engine from HSQLDB to the Firebird SQL back-end. Firebird has been included in LibreOffice as an experimental option since LibreOffice 4.2.[11][12]

In August 2018, The Document Foundation announced the release of LibreOffice version 6.1. If the experimental mode is used, the embedded Firebird engine support is fully available, and the old HSQLDB engine is deprecated—although still available—and replaced by Firebird as the default option.[13][14]

In February 2019, The Document Foundation released LibreOffice version 6.2. The embedded Firebird engine support was moved from experimental mode to operational and the Firebird Migration Assistant can create a backup copy of content as an XML document for the migration process.[15] In February 2020, embedded Firebird was moved back to experimental mode, taking effect in version 6.4.1.[16]

References
  1. "LibreOffice 7.1 Community released by The Document Foundation". The Document Foundation. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  2. https://www.libreoffice.org/download/libreoffice-in-business/
  3. "Licenses". The Document Foundation. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  4. "Index of /libreoffice/old". The Document Foundation. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  5. Klosowski, Thorin (15 August 2013). "Battle of the Office Suites: Microsoft Office and LibreOffice Compared". LifeHacker. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  6. Gaskin, James. "LibreOffice 5 Review". Laptopmag. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  7. Elena, Opris. "LibreOffice Base Review". Softpedia. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  8. "Microsoft Access alternatives: are there any free applications that achieve the same result?". 1&1. 6 November 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  9. Wallen, Jack. "Creating Forms for Easy LibreOffice Database Entry on Linux". Linux. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  10. Wallen, Jack (27 January 2012). "DIY: Create easy to use databases with LibreOffice Base". TechRepublic. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  11. "LibreOffice 4.2 released with new SQL preview feature: Firebird SQL backend". Firebird News. 30 January 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  12. "HSQLDB to be replaced by Firebird". LibreOfficeForum.org. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  13. "The Document Foundation announces LibreOffice 6.1, a major release which shows the power of a large and diverse community of contributors". The Document Foundation. LibreOffice. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  14. "LibreOffice 6.1: Release Notes". The Document Foundation's Wiki. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  15. "ReleaseNotes/6.2". The Document Foundation's Wiki. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  16. "Set Firebird creation option experimental". The Document Foundation. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
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