The most common use for a form is as the front end of a database. You can provide a form that allows users to enter information into a contacts database and, because it is part of a Writer document, the form can contain all the graphics, formatting, tables and other elements to make it look just the way you want. Even better, modifying the form is as simple as editing a document.

OpenOffice.org can access numerous data sources. These include ODBC, MySQL, Oracle JDBC, spreadsheets and text files. As a general rule, databases can be accessed for read and write; other data sources (such as spreadsheets) are read-only.

To see the full list of supported data source types, select File > New > Database. Click Connect to an existing database and then click the triangle next to the list box.