Importing and Linking Data

External Data - Hello Excel

External Data tab → New Data Source → Excel. Import into a new table or link to the workbook:

• Import - copies the data into Access; a snapshot of that moment.
• Link - Access reads the Excel file live; changes in Excel reflect immediately (perfect for a shared datasheet you keep maintaining).

Clean Import Checklist

• Header row on row 1 that becomes field names.
• Remove merged cells and total rows before importing.
• Fix blank/trailing-space cell values in Excel first.
• Add the primary key (AutoNumber) during the wizard for IDs.

Other Sources

• CSV/text files - fixed or delimited; the wizard sets delimiters.
• Access, ODBC - other Access, SQL Server, MySQL databases.
• SharePoint lists and folder of files for document tracking.

Exporting from Access

Right-click the object → Export: Excel, CSV, PDF, Word, SharePoint, ODBC. Export queries (not whole tables) when you want cleaned data.

The Split Database Pattern

Database Tools → Access Database splitter: the back-end (tables) lives on a shared drive; front-ends (queries, forms, reports) go to each user. Users share data, not file-locks on one copy.

Key Points

• Import = snapshot; Link = live connection.
• Clean Excel before importing - Access stores what you hand it.
• Split databases allow several users safely.