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What is Kexi?
Kexi is a free, open-source application for creating and managing databases, developed as part of the KDE project. It is aimed at people who need a desktop database tool but do not want to write SQL by hand or commit to a proprietary office suite. You can design tables, enter data through forms, run queries, and produce reports from a graphical interface.
What you can do with it
- Design databases visually. Create tables, set field types, and define relationships without hand-coding a schema.
- Build data-entry forms. Useful when other people need to add or edit records without seeing raw tables.
- Query and report. Run queries against your data and lay out reports for printing or sharing.
- Work with existing files. Kexi can connect to server databases as well as its own native file format, so it fits both small local projects and shared setups.
Who it suits
Kexi tends to appeal to small organisations, schools, and individuals who want something between a spreadsheet and a full database server. A typical reader scenario: a club treasurer who has outgrown a spreadsheet and wants proper tables, forms and reports, but has no database administrator. Kexi offers that middle ground on Linux desktops, where it integrates with the KDE environment.
Trade-offs to weigh
- It is less widely used than alternatives such as LibreOffice Base or SQLite tooling, so tutorials and community answers are thinner.
- Its interface follows KDE conventions, which some users find dense at first.
- For very large or multi-user production systems, a dedicated server database with a separate client is usually the better fit.
A useful next step is to download Kexi, create a small test database with two related tables, and build one form and one report. That exercise will quickly show whether its workflow matches how you prefer to work.
How does Kexi compare to Microsoft Access for managing databases?
Kexi is best understood as a free, open-source database application in the same broad category as Microsoft Access: both combine a data store with tools for building forms, queries and reports. The practical difference is ecosystem, not raw capability. Kexi is developed as part of the KDE project and is available for Linux, Windows and macOS, so it appeals to people who want an Access-style desktop database without Microsoft licensing. Its native format is SQLite-based, with support for connecting to external database servers such as PostgreSQL and MySQL/MariaDB. Access, by contrast, is built around its own Jet/ACE file format and integrates tightly with the rest of Microsoft 365.
Where each fits
| Consideration | Kexi | Microsoft Access |
|---|---|---|
| Cost and licensing | Free and open source | Commercial, usually via Microsoft 365 or a standalone licence |
| Platforms | Linux, Windows, macOS | Windows only (web sharing via Access Services/SharePoint) |
| Native file format | SQLite-based project files | .accdb / .mdb |
| External databases | PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB and others | SQL Server and other ODBC sources |
| Forms, queries, reports | Yes, built in | Yes, built in, with a large template and wizard library |
| Automation | Scripting and KDE tooling | VBA and macros, widely documented |
| Ecosystem | Smaller community, fewer add-ons | Huge third-party and training ecosystem |
How to choose
Pick Kexi if you work primarily on Linux, want to avoid per-seat licensing, or prefer an open format you can inspect and move. Pick Access if your organisation already runs Windows and Microsoft 365, if you rely on VBA automation, or if colleagues need to open the file without installing unfamiliar software.
A concrete scenario: a small clinic on Linux that needs patient intake forms, a few linked tables and monthly reports can build that in Kexi and keep the data in SQLite or push it to PostgreSQL. A Windows-based finance team that already has Access and Excel macros will find migrating to Kexi costs more in retraining than it saves in licence fees.
If you are undecided, install Kexi alongside your current tool and rebuild one small database — a contacts list with a form and a report — to test whether its query builder and form designer match how you work. To understand the wider open-source office stack it belongs to, see KDE.
Can Kexi connect to external database servers like PostgreSQL or MySQL?
Yes. Kexi is designed to work with external database servers, not just local files, and PostgreSQL and MySQL are the two server backends it is best known for supporting. The official project site is Kexi.
What that means in practice
Kexi presents a desktop database application experience — tables, queries, forms, reports — but stores the data on a server rather than in a single local file. That distinction matters for how you'd use it:
| Setup | Typical use | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Local file database | Personal work, quick prototypes, single machine | No shared access, weaker for concurrent editors |
| PostgreSQL / MySQL server | Team access, larger or longer-lived data, integration with other tools | Requires a running server, credentials, and network access |
If you're the only user and want something you can copy around on a USB stick, a server backend is overkill. If several people need to see the same records, or the data already lives in a PostgreSQL or MySQL instance, connecting Kexi to that server is the sensible route.
A concrete scenario
Say a small organisation already runs a MySQL server for its internal tools and wants a simple front end for entering and querying records without building a web app. Kexi can connect to that server, let someone design forms and reports against the existing tables, and avoid duplicating the data elsewhere.
Next step
Before committing, check two things: which specific server versions your installed Kexi build supports, and which driver or client libraries are needed on your machine to reach that server. The project's own documentation and download pages are the authoritative place for both, since driver support and version compatibility change between releases.
One practical criterion: if your team already administers a PostgreSQL or MySQL instance, Kexi is a low-friction way to add a desktop interface to it. If nobody wants to maintain a server, use a local file database instead.
What types of forms and reports can I create with Kexi?
Kexi is a visual database app builder, so "forms" and "reports" here mean two different jobs: forms for entering and editing records, and reports for printing or exporting structured summaries of that data.
Forms
Kexi's form designer lets you build data-entry screens by dragging widgets onto a canvas and binding them to table or query fields. In practice you can create:
- Single-record forms — one row at a time, useful for data entry clerks, customer intake, or inventory updates.
- Tabular or grid-style forms — many rows visible at once, closer to a spreadsheet, good for quick review and bulk correction.
- Subforms — a form embedded inside another to show related records, such as order lines under an order header.
- Widget-based forms — text boxes, combo boxes, checkboxes, images and buttons, so the form can guide the user instead of exposing raw tables.
Reports
Reports are built with a separate report designer and are meant for output rather than input:
- Tabular/columnar listings — a clean printed list of records with chosen fields.
- Grouped reports — records grouped by a field (customer, category, month) with group headers and subtotals.
- Summary and aggregate reports — counts, sums and averages calculated from a query.
- Label and mail-merge style layouts — repeated blocks of data arranged on a page.
- Query-driven reports — the report reads from a query, so the same layout can serve different filters.
Choosing between them
| Need | Use |
|---|---|
| Add or edit records accurately | Form |
| Show related records together | Form with subform |
| Print or export a structured summary | Report |
| Aggregate numbers | Query + report |
A practical next step: decide what the user must do with the data. If they must change it, build a form; if they must read, print or hand it to someone else, build a report. For a small membership database, for example, a single-record form handles sign-ups and a grouped report lists members by joining year with a count per group.
Kexi is part of the KDE project, so its documentation and community resources live alongside other KDE tools such as KDE. If you already use LibreOffice Base or Microsoft Access, the concepts transfer directly, though the exact widget set and report band layout differ.
Is Kexi available for Windows, macOS, or Linux?
Kexi is primarily a Linux application, with Windows and macOS support offered through the KDE on Windows and KDE on macOS efforts rather than as fully native builds. In practice, Linux is where you get the smoothest experience: install it from your distribution's package manager or as a Flatpak, and it behaves like any other KDE desktop app.
Platform-by-platform picture
| Platform | Practical availability | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Linux | Native; packaged by most major distributions | Best integration, easiest installation |
| Windows | Available via KDE's Windows packaging | Setup can be more involved than a typical Windows installer |
| macOS | Available via KDE's macOS packaging | Smaller user base, so fewer platform-specific guides |
What this means for you
If you are choosing a machine for a Kexi-based workflow, Linux is the low-friction option. If you are already on Windows or macOS, you can still run Kexi, but budget time for installation and expect less community documentation targeted at your platform.
As a concrete scenario: a small organization standardizing on Linux desktops can roll Kexi out through the same software repository it already uses for other tools. A mixed office with Windows laptops will need to test the KDE-packaged build on each machine before committing.
Next step
Check the official Kexi site at Kexi for current download and installation instructions for your platform, then confirm which database backend you intend to use, since that choice affects setup more than the operating system does.
How can I migrate existing Microsoft Access databases to Kexi?
Kexi can open Microsoft Access files directly, so migration usually starts by importing the .mdb or .accdb file rather than rebuilding it by hand. Once the file is open, Kexi presents its tables, queries, forms and other objects inside a Kexi project, and you then save that project in Kexi's own format. Treat the import as a conversion of structure and data first; forms, reports, macros and Visual Basic code are the parts most likely to need rework.
A practical migration sequence
- Make a copy of the Access database. Work on the copy, not the original, and keep the original as your reference for expected record counts, queries and layout.
- Import the file into Kexi and inspect the table list. Check that each table arrived, that field types look sensible, and that primary keys and relationships survived.
- Compare row counts between Access and Kexi for the main tables. Spot-check a few records with dates, currency, booleans and long text, since these are common places for type mismatches.
- Rebuild queries as needed. Simple select queries often translate; complex Access-specific expressions, crosstabs and saved queries with parameters may need to be recreated or rewritten.
- Redesign forms and reports in Kexi rather than expecting a pixel-perfect copy. Use the Access original as a specification for fields, labels and validation.
- Replace automation. Access macros and VBA modules have no direct equivalent; identify what each one does and decide whether it becomes a Kexi script, a manual step, or is dropped.
- Test with real tasks, not just an open-and-browse check: add a record, run a report, edit through a form, and confirm the results match what users expect.
What typically survives and what does not
| Access object | Typical outcome after import |
|---|---|
| Tables and data | Usually the strongest part of the migration; verify types and keys |
| Simple queries | Often workable, sometimes needing edits |
| Complex queries and expressions | Frequently need rewriting |
| Forms | Usually need redesign in Kexi's form tools |
| Reports | Usually need rebuilding |
| Macros and VBA | No direct equivalent; reimplement or drop |
Who this suits
This route fits a small office or individual with a modest Access database, a tolerance for redoing the user interface, and no hard deadline. It suits less well if the database is large, heavily dependent on VBA, or tied to Access-only features that other users still rely on.
A useful next step
Before converting anything, inventory the Access file: list every table, query, form, report and macro, and mark each as "must keep", "nice to have" or "retire". That inventory, not the import itself, determines how much work the migration really is. For background on the application and its object model, see Kexi and, if you are weighing alternatives, LibreOffice (Base offers another route for Access-style desktop databases).
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