In Calc hit F4 (LibreOffice Calc: Ctrl+Shift+F4), browse your database and drag the table (or a query for the same purpose) from the left pane onto a cell.
If you don't find your database in the left pane of the datasource window: Right-click the left pane and call "Registered databases...", add your database and do the drag&drop. Notice that you could also load the database document from this place. The registration tool is also accessible from menu:Tools>Options...OOo Base>Databases.
Refresh the imported range: Click a single cell in the imported range, call menu:Data>Refresh...
You can also copy record sets, just in case you don't want a link:
Pick a table or query from the left pane, wait a moment and grab the whole record set at the empty grey box on top of the row selectors, left of the first header and drag it onto a cell. You can also drag&drop a single value, a record or a selection of multiple records from the right pane onto a cell. Strangely, the same does not work with columns. Use a query to copy set of columns.
Drag&drop of row sets onto sheets also works with any grid-view of a loaded database document.
You can copy a table or query out of the container. Select an object in the main window of the database, copy and paste in Calc.
Side note: In Writer you get a mail merge field when you drop a column from the right pane.
Release a link: menu:Data>Define..., pick "Import1" or what ever refers to the imported range, delete the named thingy.
Properties of linked import ranges in a spreadsheet:
menu:Data>Define..., pick your range hit button [More]
- Contains column labels [always true for imported ranges]
- Insert or delete cells [on refresh adjust adjacent formulas to the new size of an imported range. Should be set by default but isn't]
- Keep formatting [... of the spreadsheet cells on refresh. Should be set by default but isn't]
- Don't save imported data [save space and enforce a manual refresh after loading]
After changing a property, hit [Modify], then [OK]
Edit: Since AOO 4.1 "Keep formatting" and "Insert or delete cells" are checked by default. This means that import ranges do work out of the data source box. |
If you want names for your import ranges other than Import1 etc: Create a single-cell database range manually, drag the table/query onto that cell, confirm to replace the contents.
For the records, not related to linked import ranges:
You can create data pilots (aka pivot tables, aka cross tables) from registered data sources. menu:Data>Pilot>Start...
You can drag&drop a form's record set after pushing the last button of toolbar "Form Navigation", which shows a beamer window showing a grid of the currently focussed form's content. Drag the grey top-left handle or selected records.
And yes, you can create import forms on Calc sheets just like you would do manually on a stand-alone Writer document or embedded database form (which is a Writer document too).