Could not load the program library libodbc.so or it is corrupted. The ODBC data source selection is not available.

[Jeffrey Walton]

I'm working on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS x86_64 fully patched. I have LibreOffice Base installed. I am trying to open a MS Access database.

I open LibreOffice Base. At Step (1) I select "Connect to an existing database". At Step (2), which is the File Open dialog, I click browse:

    Could not load the program library libodbc.so or it is corrupted.
    The ODBC data source selection is not available.

At this point I am browsing to the *.mdb file. No database is selected.

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This is a drag. I am working with a company that specializes in fresh water wells. I'm trying to get them to convert from Windows to Linux for all the right reasons. Obviously they cannot convert if Linux software cannot open the database.

====================

$ lsb_release -a
No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description: Ubuntu 18.04.3 LTS
Release: 18.04
Codename: bionic

$ libreoffice --version
LibreOffice 6.0.7.3 00m0(Build:3)

$ apt-cache show libreoffice
Package: libreoffice
Architecture: amd64
Version: 1:6.0.7-0ubuntu0.18.04.10
Priority: optional
Section: universe/editors
Origin: Ubuntu
Maintainer: Ubuntu Developers <email address hidden>
Original-Maintainer: Debian LibreOffice Maintainers <email address hidden>
Bugs: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+filebug
Installed-Size: 103
...

$ apt-cache show libreoffice-base
Package: libreoffice-base
Architecture: amd64
Version: 1:6.0.7-0ubuntu0.18.04.10
Priority: optional
Section: universe/database
Source: libreoffice
Origin: Ubuntu
Maintainer: Ubuntu Developers <email address hidden>
Original-Maintainer: Debian LibreOffice Maintainers <email address hidden>
Bugs: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+filebug
Installed-Size: 8928
...

[Jeffrey Walton (noloader)]

My bad, this may be helpful:

$ find /usr/lib -name libodbc.so
$ find /lib -name libodbc.so
$ sudo find / -name libodbc.so 2>/dev/null
$

[Jeffrey Walton (noloader)]

This fixed the problem:

    sudo apt-get install odbc-mdbtools

Perhaps LibreOffice Base should specify odbc-mdbtools as a dependency.

[Marcus Tomlinson (marcustomlinson)]

This should also be fixable by installing the unixodbc package - which is listed under 'Suggests' for libreoffice:

https://git.launchpad.net/~libreoffice/ubuntu/+source/libreoffice/tree/control.in?h=ubuntu-bionic-6.0#n72

The problem here is that unixodbc (and odbc-mdbtools for that matter) is a package in universe, while libreoffice is in main. The latter cannot list the former as its 'Depends'.

As currently there are no plans to move these packages into main, this one will have to be a 'Won't Fix' unfortunately.

Thank you for taking the time to report this though Jeffrey. It will certainly help others who stumble across this error in the future!

[Haui (haui111)]

Hi there!

I'm having the same problem but it wasn't fixable this way. Reason being most likely that I was using the snap version of Base. I now installed the apt version and it works.

Have a good one.