Outlook 2000 in a Nutshell

Exporting Data

Import and export are really just flip sides of the same coin. When you import, you’re trying to save yourself entering data that already exists. When you export, you’re trying to save someone else (sometimes you) repetitious data entry.

Anytime you export anything, you should be asking yourself several questions: What is the purpose of the export? Do you need to manipulate the data with another program? Is it for backup purposes? Are you sharing a file or a database with another person? In short, what is it you want to do with the information you export?

Outlook supports the following file export formats:

Comma Separated Values (.csv), DOS and Windows format

dBase (.dbf )

Microsoft Access (.mdb)

Microsoft Excel (.xls)

Microsoft FoxPro (.dbf )

Personal Folder File (.pst)

Tab Separated Values (.txt), DOS and Windows format

Most of the options here are self-explanatory. The Comma and Tab Separated options export only the text and values from a record—all formatting, graphics, and attachments are removed. A Tab Separated format separates each field within a record with a tab. Comma Separated format uses a comma as a field separator; if a field itself contains a comma (for example, Outlook’s File As field), the field’s contents are enclosed in double quotation marks.

Warning

When exporting to the Comma Separated Values or Tab Separated Values file format it is best to use the Windows, rather than the DOS, format because the DOS code page doesn’t fully support the extended character ...