Access® 2007 For Dummies®

Chapter 8. Importing and Exporting Data

In This Chapter

• Pulling data into Access

• Deciding when to import and when to link data

• Speaking in foreign data tongues

• Pushing your comfortable data into the cold, cruel world

It would be nice if all computer software spoke the same language, but unfortunately this is not the case. Software applications have proprietary “languages” called file formats. Just as a person who speaks only English cannot easily communicate with one who speaks only Spanish, software of one file format cannot directly communicate with software of another file format.

If you're a typical business user, you'll come across a situation in which you need some data in your Access database, but it happens to be in another file format. Or, you'll get the question, “Can you put that data in a spreadsheet for me so I can play around with it?”

Do you limber up your fingers in preparation for hours of data re‐entry? Not with Access! Access provides tools that speak the languages of other software applications. This chapter looks at the import and export capabilities of Access. If you work with Access and almost any other program, you need this chapter, because sometime soon, some data will be in the wrong place.

If you'd like to try the import and export techniques described in this chapter for yourself, download the sample files used in the chapter at http://www.dummies.com/go/access2007. There are two Access databases you can link together and a sample spreadsheet to import.

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