Access: linked tables

[NurseHHPMS]

Can you assign a primary key for a linked table? If you cannot what is the
best way to use a linked table so that a field from the linked table can be
the primary key? Do you copy and paste and append to another existing
table?

I have a school nursing database for 32 schools. The student ID is the
major primary key. I can get a student download in EXCEL that can be updated
with student information daily. I am trying to use that excel table as a
linked table.

I originally had a student table in the database and used a one time
student download to enter student data and then added students manually into
the program as they were admitted.

My concern is how the School nurses will be able to manage the linked table.
I do not have the program on a central server it is workstation only.

 

[Ken Snell \(MVP\)]

No, you cannot assign a primary key to a linked table. That table must have
the primary key already defined within its own design.

ACCESS 2002 and ACCESS 2003 will not allow you to edit/change data in a
linked EXCEL spreadsheet any more (Microsoft published SP updates that took
that option away), so you may not be able to do what you seek?

If you want to define a primary key, then import the data from the EXCEL
spreadsheet into an ACCESS table that has the student ID field already
defined as the primary key. Then you can work with the ACCESS table
directly.

If this is not answering your specific question, post back with more
details.