Excel® Dashboards & Reports

Chapter 16. Importing Microsoft Access Data into Excel

In This Chapter

• Importing data from a Microsoft Access database

• Using the drag-and-drop method

• Using the Access Export Wizard

• Using the Get External Data group

• Using Microsoft Query

Wouldn't it be wonderful if all data that you came across were neatly packed in one easy-to-use Excel table? The reality is that you will encounter situations when the data you need comes from external data sources. External data is exactly what it sounds like; data that is not located in the Excel workbook in which you are operating. Some examples of external data sources are text files, Access tables, SQL Server tables, and even other Excel workbooks

This chapter explores the most efficient ways to get Access data into Excel. Since it's also important to know when a particular method is more efficient than another, in this chapter, we introduce you to several methods and examine what circumstances make one method better suited than another.

Before jumping in, however, there are a couple of disclaimers your humble authors would like to throw out there. First, we focus on getting data from Access, mainly because the external data for the typical Excel user basically means Access. Second, there are numerous ways to get data into Excel. In fact, between the functionality found in the UI and the VBA/code techniques, there are too many to focus on in one chapter. So for this endeavor, you'll focus on a handful of techniques that can be implemented in most situations, ...