MySQL Connector for OpenOffice.org

Most content management system (CMS) based websites, such as Wordpress and Joomla, use a database to store their information. The MySQL Connector for OpenOffice.org lets you view and edit this information using Open Office rather than relying on online tools such as phpMyAdmin.

We find programs installed on a computer easier to use; phpMyAdmin is powerful but not always intuative. There is also the risk of giving anyone access to the database if phpMyAdmin is installed on the webhost. Experienced users will know not to do this but it's not always clear how to avoid this for beginners.

Installation is as simple as any other extension for Open Office using the Extension Manager. Click on the Tools menu and then Extension Manager. Click on the Add button, find the download and click on Open. Agree to the licence terms and it will be installed. Open Office will need to be restarted in order to complete the installation.

The MySQL database can then be accessed from the Open database option when Base starts. You will need to know the address of the database. If you used localhost when setting up the website, it will be the same IP address as your website. This information may be available on your account page on the web host or you could ping your website. There is an option to test the settings before completing the wizard.

Once completed the database appears as if it was on the local computer so you can view and edit the tables. Full documentation can be found here.

This download is the Windows version. Other versions including Linux and Mac can be found on the MySQL Connector page.