Getting Data from Other Programs

When you import data, you insert a copy of one file into another—in this case, Access. When you import data into Access, Access creates a new table to store the data, using labels from the first row of a worksheet or table for the new table. If you need to keep the data in a separate file for use in other programs, you can also link your data to a table in Access, which allows you to keep both updated. You can import or link data from a variety of sources, such as dBase, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Outlook, HTML, Lotus 1-2-3, Paradox, SharePoint Team Services, and text files. You can use Access commands to edit the imported data.

Import Data from Another Source

Open the database into which you want to import data.

Click the File menu, point to Get External Data, and then click Import.

Click the Files Of Type list arrow, and then click the type of file you are importing.

Locate and select the file you want to import.

Click Import.

If necessary, follow the instructions in the Import wizard to set up the data as an Access table.

Edit the imported information using Access commands and features, if necessary.

Link Data from Another Source

Open the database into which you want to link data.

Click the File menu, point to Get External Data, and then click Link Tables.

Click the Files Of Type list arrow, and then click the type of file you are importing.

Locate and select the file in which you want to link.

Click Link.

If necessary, follow the instructions in the link wizard to set up the data as an Access table.

From within the source program or Access, edit the linked information using the program's commands.

Did You Know? You can identify linked tables. Right-click the table in the Object list in the Database window, and then click Properties on the shortcut menu. The property sheet shows that a table is linked to another data source and what that data source is.