In Access, you can open a file created in another format and Access will automatically create a database and link the data. This process saves you the separate steps of creating the database and then linking the data.

The file formats you can do this with include dBASE files, spreadsheets, text files, and Paradox tables. In any file format, the data needs to be arranged in a tabular format with rows and columns. Before you open the file you are linking in Access, make sure it has the same type of data in each column and the same number of fields in every row.

When you link data, you can read and, in most cases, update the data in both the original application and in Access. In the Database window, the data appears as a linked table with an icon that depicts its source application. You can link data only in an Access database, not an Access project.

 Note   You cannot update or delete data that is linked to an Excel worksheet.

The articles in the See Also list demonstrate this feature by creating Access databases from a dBASE file, an Excel spreadsheet, and a text file.

The sample dBASE file and spreadsheet in this article use data from the Northwind sample database. The default location of the Northwind sample database is:

• For Access 2003, the Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office11\Samples folder.
• For Access 2002, the Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\Samples folder.
• For Access 2000, the Program Files\Microsoft Office\Samples folder.