Excel 2000 in a Nutshell

Name

Data → Template Wizard

Synopsis

Provides the ability to create a custom template that can be used to gather data and store it in a database. For example, if you want to gather the sales figures from each individual salesperson you could create a template that is linked to a central database that each salesperson could use to enter information about a sale. At any point you can access the database to determine what the current sales figures are.

Note

This option may not be currently loaded on your system. The Template Wizard dialog is an add-in option that can be added at anytime using Tools → Add-Ins. If you want to design a method to gather information using Excel, this is definitely a good option to load. For more information on add-ins, refer to Chapter 8.

When you use the Template Wizard option you can use one of the following types of databases as long as you have the necessary database ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) driver and components installed: a Microsoft Excel list, a Microsoft Access database, Microsoft FoxPro database, or a dBase database. The ODBC driver is the database driver that allows you to connect to that type of database. If you are going to have other people access the database and template, make sure you select a database type that they have access to. If you are not sure which types of ODBC drivers you or the other user of the template have installed, I would suggest using the Microsoft Excel list. This option just creates another workbook ...