Importing Data from Excel

You can import data from other Microsoft Office applications. When you select an Excel spreadsheet to import, Access will open the Import Spreadsheet Wizard to help you import the data.

To import data from Excel:

1. Click the File menu, point to Get External Data, and click Import... to open the Import dialog box.
2. Make sure that Microsoft Excel is listed in the Files of type: box.
3. Navigate to find the spreadsheet that contains the data you want to import.
4. Double-click the filename.
5. If your spreadsheet contains more than one worksheet or named range, the Import Spreadsheet Wizard will ask you to select which you would like to import.
6. Click Next.
7. If the first row of your spreadsheet corresponds to field names, click the check box next to First Row Contains Column Headings. Access will automatically use the column headings as field names.
8. Click Next.
9. Select whether to store your data in a new table or to add it to an existing table.
10. Click Next.
11. If you are adding the data to an existing table, select the table from the drop-down list.
12. Click Next to go to the last page of the wizard and finish the import.
13. If you are creating a new table, the next page allows you to specify properties for each of the fields, such as whether or not to allow duplicates. You can also select a field and click the Skip Import check box to exclude the column from the import. Make your choices and click Next.
14. You can allow Access to choose the primary key, or your can select the primary key yourself. Set the primary key option and click Next to finish the import.
15. Give the table a name, and click Finish.

Be careful when importing to an existing table. If the column headings in your spreadsheet don't match the fields in the table, Access will report an error and you will be unable to complete the import.