Chapter 5

Using OpenOffice Base

A. Multiple choice questions:
1. OpenOffice Base is a _________________ package.
a. Word Processing
Ans. d. Database

b. Spreadsheet

c. Presentation

d. Database

2. Which of the following can be done using the Database Wizard?

a. Create a Report
b. Open an existing Database
Ans. b. Open an existing Database

c. Create a Query

d. Create a Form

3. What is a row in a Table called?

a. Record
Ans. a. Record

b. Field

c. Both a and b

d. None of these

4. In which menu is the Delete Record option of the Data View window present?

5. What is the

a. File
Ans. b. Edit

b. Edit

c. Delete

d. Record

image on the Record Selector indicate?

a. Current Record
b. Delete a Record
Ans. a. Current Record

c. Select a Record

d. Add a new Record.

c. Both a and b

d. None of these

6. What is a column in a Table called?

a. Record
Ans. b. Field

b. Field

7. What is the maximum size allowed for a database memo field?

a. 2GB
Ans. a. 2GB

b. 3GB

c. 4GB

d. Infinite

8. Name the View that may be used to insert data into a table.
a. Data View
Ans. a. Data View

b. Design View

c. Both a and b

d. None of these

9. Which among the following field properties is used to specify the maximum number of characters
in a alphanumeric field type?.
a. Auto Value
Ans. b. Length

b. Length

c. Format

d. Default Value

10. Which among the following is not a part of editing a table structure?
a. Add fields into an existing Table.

b. Add records into an existing Table.

c. Delete fields from an existing Table. d. Change the Field Type of a certain field in an existing Table.
Ans. b. Add records into an existing Table.
22

B. Fill in the blanks:

1. The LONGVARCHAR data type allows you to insert an extremely long alphanumeric data.
2. The Entry Required option of the Field Properties allows you to specify whether a value is required
in this field.
3. The Record Selector located to the left of each record in Datasheet View identifies the operation
being performed against a selected record at any given time.
4. The field type BOOLEAN is used to store either a 0 or a 1 only.
5. The Field Property Format is used to specify how data is displayed without affecting the actual data
as it is stored in the field.
6. Field Type is the way of dictating OpenOffice Base what type of data needs to be stored in each of
the fields.
7. The Auto Value data type is used to generate unique values when a new record is inserted.
8. The Data View is responsible for inserting or editing the data in a table.
9. The Status Area that is displayed during the Data view allows you to navigate through the records as
well as add a new record to the table.
10. A blank record row always get added to the last row in a table.
C. State whether the following statements are true or false:
1. You can have just a single Table in a Database.

[False]

2. Scientific and Personal are the two categories of tables that you may work upon using Table Wizard.
[False]
3. The Data View of a Table allows you to enter data in a table.

[True]

4. The Design View gives you the opportunity to create a table structure from scratch and therefore
gives you more flexibility.
[True]
5. There is no data type to store numbers with decimal point.

[False]

6. You cannot remove more than one record in a Table.

[False]

7. The field type CHAR and VARCHAR are one and the same.

[False]

8. The Data View of a Table do not allow you to add a record at the end of the Table.

[False]

9. Once the data type of a field is specified and data is inserted to it, the field type cannot be changed
any further.
[False]
10. The Status Area of a Table displays the total number of records in the Table.
D. Answer the following questions:

[True]

1. What are the different ways to create a table in a Database?

Ans. A Table in a Database may be created using:

Either the Table Wizard

Or in Design View

2. How do you mark a field as primary key in a table?

Ans. To mark a field as Primary Key you need to right-click on the grayed box on the left edge of
the field name and from the popup menu that appears click on Primary Key option in Design
View.
23

3. What are Field Types in a table?

Ans. The Field Type is used to specify the data type of a field, which is used to dictate Base what
type of data will be stored in the field.
4. What is the possible smallest number and largest number that can be stored in a field having
data type as SMALLINT?
Ans. The smallest number that can be stored in SMALLINT-215 is and the largest number that can
be stored is 215-1.
5. State the difference between CHAR and VARCHAR data type for a field.
Ans. CHAR stores exactly the number of characters specified by user. Pads with trailing spaces
for shorter strings. VARCHAR on the other hand stores up to the specified number of
characters without any padding. Thus the overall space required by VARCHAR is lesser
than CHAR.
6. What do you understand by Default Value Field Properties?
Ans. The default value is used to specify the value that will appear each time a new record is
added.
7. How do you open a database using the Database Wizard?
Ans. To open a database using the Database Wizard the following steps are required:

1. Start with OpenOffice Base, which in turn presents you with the Database Wizard. Select
open an existing database file.

2. Using the Recently used drop-down list shows all the recently used database file, which
you can select. The Open button uses the usual Open dialog that allows you to select a
database file.

3. Once you are done with the selection of a file click on the Finish button of the wizard to
open it.

8. State three functions of the Record Selector of a table in Data View.

Ans. The three functions of the Record Selector are:

It is used to indicate that the record is saved with the information displayed on the screen.

It is used to indicate that the selected record is being edited and the changes have not yet
been saved.

It is also used to indicate a blank record into which information for a new record can be
added to the table.

9. State the process of removing a record from a Table.

Ans. To delete a record from the table, select a record by clicking on the record selector of that
record. Click on the Delete Record option of the Edit menu on the Data View window or hit
the Delete key on your keyboard.
10. How do you remove a Table from a database?
Ans. To remove a table, select the table from the Objects Pane. Click on the Delete option of the

24

Edit menu in the main window. Alternately you may right-click on a Table in the Objects
Pane and from the popup menu that appears click on the Delete option.
E. Application-based questions:
1. Ms Poonam is the class teacher of III-C in a school. She is computer savvy and wants to keep
information about her students in a database. She needs this information for the following
purposes:
She has to contact the parents frequently through phone calls or email.
She has to keep comments about the students. These comments help her during PTMs.
Suggest any six fields and their data types to keep the relevant information.
Ans.
Field Name
Roll
Name
GName
Phone
Mobile
Email
Comments

Data Type
INT
VARCHAR
VARCHAR
BIGINT
BIGINT
VARCHAR
LONGVARCHAR or memo

Description
To store the roll number of the student.
Tos store the name of the student.
To store Guardians name
To store the Land Line Number if any
To store the cell phone number if any.
To store the email-id if any.
To store any comments about the child.

2. Look at the following fields which are used to keep voters ID card data in a table:
CardNo, VoterName, Address, FatherName, DOB
a. Suggest the data type for each of these columns.
b. Suggest the column name(s) which can be used as its primary key.
Ans. a.

Field Name
CardNo
Votername
Address
FatherName
DOB

Data Type
INT
VARCHAR
VARCHAR
VARCHAR
DATE

b. CardNo should be the primary key.

3. The management of a medical store, GetWellSoon Medicos, decides to computerise its

inventory.
a. Suggest any two tables which must be present in the database. You also have to suggest fields

25

of the tables along with their datatypes.

b. Mention any two benefits that the management will have by computerising the inventory.
Ans.

a. Table: Stock

b. The two benefits of computerizing the inventory:

i. Keeps track of the amount of stock available currently.

ii. Keeps track of the product being purchased and also accordingly update the QTY in
stock.

Field Name
PID
PNAME
QTY
REORDER
PRICE

Field Type
CHAR
VARCHAR
INT
INT
FLOAT

Description
To store the product id.
To store the product name
Quantity in stock.
Quantity to mark the reorder level.
Cost Price of the product.

Table: Purchase
Field Name
PID
DOP
QTY
PRICE
REMARKS

Field Type
CHAR
DATE
INT
FLOAT
VARCHAR

Description
To store the product id of the product being purchased.
To store the date of purchase.
Quantity purchased.
Price at which the product is purchased.
Comments if any for the transaction

26