How to Convert Excel to Access
How to Convert Excel to Access. An Excel spreadsheet is a great tool to help you manage lists and financial data, but at some point you may want to do more with your spreadsheet than those activities. Microsoft Access allows you to use forms to enter data, link tables to each other, and other advanced functions. Depending on how complex the spreadsheet is, it's usually fairly easy to convert Excel spreadsheets into Access databases. These directions are for Access 2003, so the process for exporting Excel spreadsheets into older and newer versions may differ from what is presented here.
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Instructions
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Edit the Excel file. Eliminate any rows or columns that you don't want to import. If you only want some of the data in your Access database, create a new named range that contains only the cells you want to include.
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Create the new Access database. Click on File, get external data, import. Change the file type to excel (xls) and then select the spreadsheet to import. You will have to do one table within the spreadsheet at a time. If import errors occur, you may need to make corrections to the spreadsheet, then do the import process again.
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Access will add a primary key by default. Primary keys are helpful if you will be linking tables. If you already have an idea of what tables to link, you can define the field that will be the primary key during the import. For example, if two tables both contain a household inventory and you want these tables to be combined on a form, you can select the name of the inventory item as the primary key.
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Import spreadsheets manually by selecting the entire spreadsheet in Excel, if you prefer. Click the top-left corner to highlight the whole worksheet. Click ctrl-c to copy the columns. Create a new table in Access, then click the top left corner, and click ctrl-v to paste. Your Excel tables will be pasted into the Access database.
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Create forms for entering data and reports to generate reports by using the wizards for forms and reports.
