How to Delete or Copy a Table in Microsoft Access
Access is a powerful data management program that can be difficult to master because of its extensive capabilities. One of the easiest tasks in the software is copying and deleting tables.
A table is the workhorse of Access; it's where information is entered and stored. Let's say you own a hardware store and you have separate tables in Access for customer addresses, inventory and your fleet of vehicles. As your business needs change, you decide to open a second store across town, but you sell the vehicles to finance it.
To keep your program current, you would copy the inventory table (for the new store) and delete the fleet table.
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Instructions
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Open the Access file and minimize or close any reports or forms that appear until the database window is visible and active.
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Look for the Objects panel on the left side of the database window. Click on Tables in the Objects sub menu.
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Highlight the correct table on the right side of the database window that you wish to copy.
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Press Ctrl-C to copy, then Ctrl-V to paste. (You also can use the copy icon in the toolbar or the drop-down command under the Edit menu on the top toolbar.)
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Type in a name for the new file in the dialog box that pops up. Access defaults to the "Structure and data" option in the dialog box. Since you are copying the entire file, leave this alone. Press OK. You now have a new file.
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Select "Structure only" if you need a duplicate table format. This will save you time. First, you won't have to stop to create a new table from scratch (in Design view). Second, you won't have to delete all the data from the original file.
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To delete a table, just highlight it and hit the Delete button. Access will ask you if you are sure you want to delete the table, select "Yes."
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Tips & Warnings
You can copy an Access table into another Microsoft application by the drag-and-drop method.
Choose "Append data to existing table" option in the paste dialog box if you want to add data to an existing table. Both tables must have the same fields.
Make sure you have a backup copy of your database before you start making changes.
