text: Apache OpenOffice (AOO) Bugzilla – Issue 51904
  Wizard to import table to database
  Last modified: 2014-01-16 02:54:32 UTC
  There should be a wizard to import tables from various data sources (e.g. .sxc,
  .xls, .csv, .dbf) to the new OOo Database component.
  For loosely defined data sources (spreadsheets), the wizard would clarify data
  types, column names, and the primary key.
  I suggest the feature be accessible from File menu->Import or File menu->Get
  external data.
  Hi,
  I reassign this enhancement to the User Experience team for evaluating.
  Bye Marc
  Here are some reasons how feature would help:
  1. To change import properties such as following. All of these apply to simple
  formats such as CSV, but not all apply to more structude formats such as DBF.
  a. character set
  b. destination (new or existing table)
  c. column types (e.g. integer, date, currency)
  d. index
  e. fixed width or delimiter character (e.g. comma or tab)
  f. text qualifer (usually " with CSV)
  g. column types
  h. column index
  i. primary key
  2. Import files larger than 65,536 lines (compared to copy from spreadsheet via
  clipboard)
  3. Import multiple files as multiple tables into one Base file
  I've struggling to import data from a spreadsheet into an existing database...
  Copying and dragging seems to be bugged, so will really appreciate that the
  import wizard is implemented. Suggest to have it working as in Access Database
  but using the connection facilities Base seems to have.
  *** Issue 56500 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
  Adding a data import button similar to the one in Microsoft Access would greatly
  improve the usability of Openoffice Base.
  I tried for an hour with Openoffice (and failed) to import a csv file with 87600
  rows and 20 columns using the first line in the columns as the field names.
  Although after a bit more research I could probably have written a script to
  create a text table first then copy the data across to a native Base table my
  ordinary users certainly could not do this. As each file we want to import has
  different column headers this could become tedious.
  MS Access did this task in a couple of minutes, correctly naming the fields and
  correctly determining the field data type from the format of the text data (some
  of the fields are date / time etc...).
  The other alternative would be to remove the restriction on the maximum number
  of rows in the OOo Calc component. Some of our data sets have 250000 rows and
  1000 columns.
  *** Issue 59766 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
  Is this not a duplicate of issue 42464?
  @ibarnard:
  In my opinion this is not a duplicate of issue 42464. That issue is about
  linking an another database into the current database, similar to functionality
  MS Access offers.
  This issue is about importing files directly into tables of the current
  database.
  Yes I understand, but this may be related in the sense that the same subsystem
  (if created at any time) will perform both functions. Meaning OOo has to load
  the other database before it can import its data - thus having to link the two
  temporarily.
  By the way this is how MS Access accomplishes both. Why write two sets of code
  where one will do?
  There is a difference between a duplicate issue and a dependent issue.
  Duplicate issues come to the same thing. Resolving issue 42464 will not
  automatically resolve this issue.
  The point of this issue is to create simple functionality to allow even the most
  novice user to be able to import tables from other data sources in one action
  without being bothered with explicitly linking and unlinking a data source.
  It might be a very good idea to show this issue depending on 42464, but it would
  not be a good idea to dismiss this issue once the other has been resolved.
  *** Issue 67913 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
  *** Issue 67631 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
  Until this is available, here's how to do this with help from Solveig Haugland:
  - Exporting data from an OpenOffice.org Base database:. Other
  methods seem plausible but are broken.
  - Importing data into an OpenOffice.org Base database:
  What she doesn't make explicit enough is you can paste from a spreadsheet but it
  won't work if pasting from an OpenOffice database.
  - Copying from one OpenOffice Base databse to another (the following assumes
  you've read the documents above):
  - paste the database contents into a blank spreadsheet
  - copy the contents of the spreadsheet
  - paste into the database
  (You get prompted for the table name, don't use <table name> use <db
  name>.<table name> format)
  Pete Boyd
  add as CC
  Yep, that's a very easy way of doing it ... unfortunately it only works for
  small amounts of data due to the restriction on columns & rows in the
  spreadsheet. Any well used database soon goes over that boundary (especially the
  rows).
  Now if you could directly copy data between 2 OOo Base databases (irrespective
  of the backbone driver) this would accomplish the task quite easily. I'm just
  thinking that placing all the data on the clipboard & then pasting into a new
  table or appending, will use a lot of ram whereas a link shouldn't be that
  wasteful. The user doesn't need to know that a link is created (even a temporary
  link) - this could be done in the background as OOo should be able to notice
  that you're importing data from one open database to another open database -
  thus no user intervention except for the Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V key presses.
  If the "linking" idea can be done as described above, this will make even the
  linked tables (as per issue 42464) as seamless as a copy-n-paste operation.
  Maybe just say add an option in the Edit menu. E.g. Paste-Special --> Paste as
  Link. This is also much closer to what inexperienced users would expect, as most
  other programs offer this type of functionality, e.g. Paste a link to a Calc
  spreadsheet into a Writer document.
  Running into the need for this now. Has any progress been made?
  Please ignore previous comment. Found exactly what I was looking for, but wow is there a need to simplify the usability, either through documentation and/or a clearly marked "Import" button or menu option.
  (In reply to tictactow from comment #18)
  > Found exactly what I was looking for
  Could you possibly point out your solution?
  Import into OOcalc using "file open" or drag and drop, you then get the Import Wizard to parse your data. Once in Excel format, cut and paste into Base. Hope this helped.
  Spent ages looking for an "Import" menu option though. ;-)