1. Open a database, or switch to the Database window (Database window: The window that appears when you open an Access database or an Access project. It displays shortcuts for creating new database objects and opening existing objects.) for the open database.
2. Do one of the following:
   • To import (import: To copy data from a text file, spreadsheet, or database table into an Access table. You can use the imported data to create a new table, or you can append (add) it to an existing table that has a matching data structure.) tables, on the File menu, point to Get External Data, and then click Import.
   • To link tables, on the File menu, point to Get External Data, and then click Link Tables.
     
     
3. In the Import (or Link) dialog box, in the Files of type box, make sure that Microsoft Access (*.mdb; *.adp; *.mda; *.mde; *.ade) is selected.
4. Click the arrow to the right of the Look in box, select the drive and folder where the Access file that you want to import or link is located, and then double-click the database's icon.
5. In the Import Objects (or Link Tables) dialog box, click each table that you want to import or link.

   If you're importing, and you want to import just the selected tables' definitions (not the data they contain), click Options, and then under Import Tables, click Definition Only.

 Note   If you import a table that is already linked, then Access does not import the data; instead, it links the table to its data source (in effect, copies the link information).

 Important   Before you import (import: To copy data from a text file, spreadsheet, or database table into an Access table. You can use the imported data to create a new table, or you can append (add) it to an existing table that has a matching data structure.) or link data from a delimited text file (delimited text file: A file containing data where individual field values are separated by a character, such as a comma or a tab.) or fixed-width text file (fixed-width text file: A file containing data where each field has a fixed width.), make sure that the file has the same type of data in each field and the same fields in every row.

1. Open a database, or switch to the Database window (Database window: The window that appears when you open an Access database or an Access project. It displays shortcuts for creating new database objects and opening existing objects.) for the open database.
2. Do one of the following:
   • To import data, on the File menu, point to Get External Data, and then click Import.
   • To link data, on the File menu, point to Get External Data, and then click Link Tables.
     
     
3. In the Import (or Link) dialog box, in the Files of type box, select Text Files (*.txt; *.csv; *.tab; *asc).
4. Click the arrow to the right of the Look in box, select the drive and folder where the file is located, and then double-click its icon.
5. Follow the directions in the Import Text Wizard dialog boxes. Click Advanced to create or use an import/export specification (import/export specification: A specification that stores the information that Access needs to import or export a fixed-width or delimited text file.).

   To cancel importing, press CTRL+BREAK.

Notes

• You can append the data to an existing table as long as the first row of your text file matches the table's field names.
• If all the records in a fixed-width text file are the same length, an embedded row separator (such as a carriage return and a linefeed) in the middle of a record will not cause unexpected results. However, if the records aren't all the same length, Microsoft Access will treat the embedded row separator as the end of the record.

Before you proceed, make sure that the data in the spreadsheet is arranged in an appropriate tabular format, and the spreadsheet has the same type of data in each field (column) and the same fields in every row.

1. Open a database, or switch to the Database window (Database window: The window that appears when you open an Access database or an Access project. It displays shortcuts for creating new database objects and opening existing objects.) for the open database.
2. Do one of the following:
   • To import (import: To copy data from a text file, spreadsheet, or database table into an Access table. You can use the imported data to create a new table, or you can append (add) it to an existing table that has a matching data structure.) a spreadsheet, on the File menu, point to Get External Data, and then click Import.
   • To link a spreadsheet, on the File menu, point to Get External Data, and then click Link Tables.
3. In the Import (or Link) dialog box, in the Files of type box, select Microsoft Excel (*.xls).
4. Click the arrow to the right of the Look in box, select the drive and folder where the spreadsheet file is located, and then double-click its icon.
5. Follow the directions in the Import Spreadsheet Wizard dialog boxes.

   If the wizard doesn't start

   If you are importing from a Microsoft Excel version 5.0 or later workbook, then you can import from one worksheet within a workbook. You cannot import from any other multiple-spreadsheet files, such as Microsoft Excel version 4.0 workbooks. To import from these files, you must first save each spreadsheet as an individual file.

Notes

• You can import or link all the data from a spreadsheet, or just the data from a named range of cells. Although you normally create a new table in Microsoft Access for the data, you can also append the data to an existing table as long as your spreadsheet column headings match the table's field names.
• Access attempts to assign the appropriate data type to imported fields, but you should check your fields to make sure that they are set to the data type you want. For example, in an Access database, a phone number or postal code field might be imported as a Number field, but should be changed to a Text field in Microsoft Access because it is unlikely that you will perform any calculations on these types of fields. You should also check and set field properties, such as formatting, as necessary.

If the wizard doesn't start

1. Open a database, or switch to the Database window (Database window: The window that appears when you open an Access database or an Access project. It displays shortcuts for creating new database objects and opening existing objects.) for the open database.
2. Do one of the following:
   • To import (import: To copy data from a text file, spreadsheet, or database table into an Access table. You can use the imported data to create a new table, or you can append (add) it to an existing table that has a matching data structure.) data, on the File menu, point to Get External Data, and then click Import. In the Import dialog box, in the Files of type dialog box, select Windows SharePoint Services().
   • To link data, on the File menu, point to Get External Data, and then click Link Tables. In the Link dialog box, in the Files of type dialog box, select Windows SharePoint Services().
3. Follow the directions in the Import from Windows SharePoint Services Wizard or the Link to Windows SharePoint Services Wizard.

 Note    You can only import (import: To copy data from a text file, spreadsheet, or database table into an Access table. You can use the imported data to create a new table, or you can append (add) it to an existing table that has a matching data structure.) or link an SQL (Structured Query Language (SQL): A database query and programming language widely used for accessing, querying, updating, and managing data in relational database systems.) or other ODBC data source (ODBC data source: Data and the information needed to access that data from programs and databases that support the Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) protocol.) if you have installed the appropriate driver.

1. Open an Access file, or switch to the Database window (Database window: The window that appears when you open an Access database or an Access project. It displays shortcuts for creating new database objects and opening existing objects.) for the open Access file.
2. Do one of the following:
   • To import tables, on the File menu, point to Get External Data, and then click Import.
   • To link tables, on the File menu, point to Get External Data, and then click Link Tables.
     
     
3. In the Import (or Link) dialog box, in the Files of type box, select ODBC Databases().

   The Select Data Source dialog box lists the defined data sources for any ODBC drivers (Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) driver: A program file used to connect to a particular database. Each database program, such as Access or dBASE, or database management system, such as SQL Server, requires a different driver.) that are installed on your computer.

4. Click either the File Data Source or Machine Data Source tab, and then double-click the ODBC data source that you want to import.
   
   

   To define a new data source for any installed ODBC driver, click New, and then follow the instructions in the Create New Data Source dialog box and the dialog boxes that follow it before continuing.

5. If the ODBC data source that you selected requires you to log on, type your logon ID and password (additional information might also be required), and then click OK.

   Microsoft Access connects to the ODBC data source and displays the list of tables that you can import or link.

6. If you're linking a table, do not select the Save password check box if you want to keep the database secure. This will force users to type the logon ID and password every time they open the table in each new session with Microsoft Access. Your SQL database (SQL database: A database that is based on Structured Query Language (SQL).) administrator can also choose to disable this check box, requiring all users to type the logon ID and password each time they connect to the SQL database.
7. Click each table that you want to import or link, and then click OK. If you're linking a table and it doesn't have an index that uniquely identifies each record, then Microsoft Access displays a list of the fields in the linked table. Click a field or a combination of fields that will uniquely identify each record, and then click OK.

1. Open a database, or switch to the Database window (Database window: The window that appears when you open an Access database or an Access project. It displays shortcuts for creating new database objects and opening existing objects.) for the open database.
2. Do one of the following:
   • To import (import: To copy data from a text file, spreadsheet, or database table into an Access table. You can use the imported data to create a new table, or you can append (add) it to an existing table that has a matching data structure.) data, on the File menu, point to Get External Data, and then click Import.

   • To link data, on the File menu, point to Get External Data, and then click Link Tables.

3. In the Import (or Link) dialog box, in the Files of type box, select either Outlook() or Exchange().
4. Follow the directions in the Import from Exchange/Outlook Wizard or the Link to Exchange/Outlook Wizard.

You can't import (import: To copy data from a text file, spreadsheet, or database table into an Access table. You can use the imported data to create a new table, or you can append (add) it to an existing table that has a matching data structure.) a Microsoft Works database (.wdb) directly into Microsoft Access. You must first use Microsoft Works to save the file to one of the file formats that Microsoft Access can import.

1. Open the database by using Microsoft Works.
2. On the File menu, click Save as.
3. In the Save as type box, select dBASE IV (*.dbf), and then click OK.
4. Import the dBASE IV .dbf file that you created in step 3 into Microsoft Access.

Microsoft has created dBASE ISAM drivers for Microsoft Jet 4.0 that do not require the installation of the Borland Database Engine (BDE) to provide full read/write access to dBASE files. The default Jet 4.0-based dBase ISAM drivers that ship with Microsoft Data Access Component (MDAC) 2.1 and later, allow read-only access to dBASE files unless the BDE is installed. To obtain these ISAM drivers, you must contact Microsoft Technical Support and request that they be sent to you.

1. Open a database, or switch to the Database window (Database window: The window that appears when you open an Access database or an Access project. It displays shortcuts for creating new database objects and opening existing objects.) for the open database.
2. Do one of the following:
   • To import (import: To copy data from a text file, spreadsheet, or database table into an Access table. You can use the imported data to create a new table, or you can append (add) it to an existing table that has a matching data structure.) files, on the File menu, point to Get External Data, and then click Import.
   • To link files, on the File menu, point to Get External Data, and then click Link Tables.
     
     
3. In the Import (or Link) dialog box, in the Files of type box, select one of the dBASE file types.
4. Click the arrow to the right of the Look in box, select the drive and folder where the .dbf file is located, and then double-click its icon.
   • If importing, Microsoft Access creates a table named after the file that you selected, and then imports the data from the .dbf file.
   • If linking, Microsoft Access displays a dialog box where you can associate dBASE index files. Do the following:
     1. Double-click each dBASE index (.ndx or .mdx) file that you want to use, and then click Close. If there are no indexes, click Cancel to continue.
     2. In the Select Unique Record Identifier dialog box, select an index that uniquely identifies each record. This index must contain no duplicate values, or Microsoft Access might not be able to properly update data in queries with joins.
5. To import or link another dBASE file, repeat step 4.

 Note   After importing or linking a .dbf or .dbc file, you can set field properties for the table. If you import a .dbf or .dbc file, you might also want to set a primary key (primary key: One or more fields (columns) whose values uniquely identify each record in a table. A primary key cannot allow Null values and must always have a unique index. A primary key is used to relate a table to foreign keys in other tables.) for the table.

Microsoft has created Paradox ISAM drivers for Microsoft Jet 4.0 that do not require the installation of the Borland Database Engine (BDE) to provide full read/write access to Paradox files. The default Jet 4.0-based Paradox ISAM drivers that ship with Microsoft Data Access Component (MDAC) 2.1 and later, allow read-only access to Paradox files unless the BDE is installed. To obtain these ISAM drivers, you must contact Microsoft Technical Support, and request that they be sent to you.

1. Open a database, or switch to the Database window (Database window: The window that appears when you open an Access database or an Access project. It displays shortcuts for creating new database objects and opening existing objects.) for the open database.
2. Do one of the following:
   • To import (import: To copy data from a text file, spreadsheet, or database table into an Access table. You can use the imported data to create a new table, or you can append (add) it to an existing table that has a matching data structure.) tables, on the File menu, point to Get External Data, and then click Import.
   • To link tables, on the File menu, point to Get External Data, and then click Link Tables.
3. In the Import (or Link) dialog box, in the Files of type box, select Paradox (*.db*).
4. Click the arrow to the right of the Look in box, select the drive and folder where the .db file is located, and then double-click its icon.
5. If the Paradox table you select is encrypted, Microsoft Access prompts you for the password. Type the password for the Paradox table, and then click OK.
6. If you want to import or link another Paradox table, repeat steps 2 through 5.

When you import (import: To copy data from a text file, spreadsheet, or database table into an Access table. You can use the imported data to create a new table, or you can append (add) it to an existing table that has a matching data structure.) a data access page (data access page: A Web page, published from Access, that has a connection to a database. In a data access page, you can view, add to, edit, and manipulate the data stored in the database. A page can also include data from other sources, such as Excel.), you are only importing the link to the corresponding HTML file. The HTML file remains in the same location, which means that you have two links pointing to the same corresponding HTML file. If you don't want this, save one of the linked pages under a different name (using the Save As command on the File menu), type a different file location for the new corresponding HTML file in the Save As dialog box, and then delete the linked page that you just saved.

1. Open a database, or switch to the Database window (Database window: The window that appears when you open an Access database or an Access project. It displays shortcuts for creating new database objects and opening existing objects.) for the open database.
2. On the File menu, point to Get External Data, and then click Import.
3. In the Import dialog box, in the Files of type box, make sure that Microsoft Access (*.mdb; *.adp; *.mda; *.mde; *.ade) is selected.
4. Click the arrow to the right of the Look in box, select the drive and folder where the Access database (.mdb) or Access project (.adp) is located, and then double-click the Access database's or Access project's icon.
5. Under the Pages tab in the Import Objects dialog box, click each data access page that you want to import.

1. Open a database, or switch to the Database window (Database window: The window that appears when you open an Access database or an Access project. It displays shortcuts for creating new database objects and opening existing objects.) for the open database.
2. On the File menu, point to Get External Data, and then click Import.
3. In the Import dialog box, in the Files Of Type box, select XML Documents (*.xml;*.xsd).
4. Click the arrow to the right of the Look In box, select the drive and folder where the file is located, and then double-click its icon.
5. The Import XML dialog box displays a list of tables contained within the XML document.

    Note   All of the tables shown in the list will be imported. You cannot select a subset of the XML document for importing.

6. To start importing the file, click OK . This completes the import procedure.

    Note   For most records that cause an error, Microsoft Access creates and adds a row to a table called Import Errors. To view the list of errors that were encountered, open the Import Errors table from the Database window.

7. To set options for importing, select one of the following under Import Options:
   • To import just the structure of the table, click Structure Only.
   • To import the structure of the table and the data, click Structure and Data.
   • To append the data to an existing table, click Append Data To Existing Table(s).

   Click OK to start importing, or proceed to the next step.

    Note   For the first two options above, if a table already exists with the same name, a new table is created with a number appended to the name. Otherwise, a new table is created.

8. To select a transform to apply to the data being imported, click Transform.

   In the Import Transforms dialog box, do one of the following.
   • In the displayed list of transforms, select a transform and click OK.

      Note    Selecting (none) and clicking OK is the same as not applying any transform.

   • If the displayed list does not contain the necessary transform, add the transform file by clicking Add. This opens the Add New Transforms dialog box which allows you to add a file with the extension xsl or xslt. After adding the transform, select it and click OK.

    Note   If the XML data references any transforms, the Import Transforms dialog box also lists these transforms. These transforms and the item (none) cannot be renamed or removed.