Create database file in android

You can use the SQLiteOpenHelper with a custom path (at least with android 2.2) if you provide a custom ContextClass and if you have write access in the target directory.

public class DatabaseHelper extends SQLiteOpenHelper {
private static final int DATABASE_VERSION = 3;
    .....

DatabaseHelper(final Context context, String databaseName) 
    {
       super(new DatabaseContext(context), databaseName, null, DATABASE_VERSION);
    }
}

And here is the custom DatabaseContext class that does all the magic

class DatabaseContext extends ContextWrapper {

private static final String DEBUG_CONTEXT = "DatabaseContext";

public DatabaseContext(Context base) {
    super(base);
}

@Override
public File getDatabasePath(String name) 
{
    File sdcard = Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory();    
    String dbfile = sdcard.getAbsolutePath() + File.separator+ "databases" + File.separator + name;
    if (!dbfile.endsWith(".db"))
    {
        dbfile += ".db" ;
    }

    File result = new File(dbfile);

    if (!result.getParentFile().exists())
    {
        result.getParentFile().mkdirs();
    }

    if (Log.isLoggable(DEBUG_CONTEXT, Log.WARN))
    {
        Log.w(DEBUG_CONTEXT,
                "getDatabasePath(" + name + ") = " + result.getAbsolutePath());
    }

    return result;
}

@Override
public SQLiteDatabase openOrCreateDatabase(String name, int mode, SQLiteDatabase.CursorFactory factory) 
{
    SQLiteDatabase result = SQLiteDatabase.openOrCreateDatabase(getDatabasePath(name), null);
    // SQLiteDatabase result = super.openOrCreateDatabase(name, mode, factory);
    if (Log.isLoggable(DEBUG_CONTEXT, Log.WARN))
    {
        Log.w(DEBUG_CONTEXT,
                "openOrCreateDatabase(" + name + ",,) = " + result.getPath());
    }
    return result;
}
}

this is old, but for those are looking for placing the database in accessible directory for debugging purpose, the simplest way:

in your dbHelper constructor, add the alternative path to the db name:

  private DbHelper(Context context)
{
    super(context, "/mnt/sdcard/"+DATABASE_NAME, null, DATABASE_VERSION);
}

and remember add the permission:

    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />