Changing a word document into an excel spreadsheet

[Guest]

The database that I am working from sends me a report as a word document. I
would prefer that this information be presented in excel, that way it is
easier to manipulate the report. There is no option for me to choose between
word or excel. I would just like to know how I can transfer data on a word
document to an excel spreadsheet?

 

[wjohnson]

If each record of your WORD Document occupies just 1 line with a
paragraph return at the end of each line and you have a "fixed" length
for each field then you can copy and paste directly into EXCEL and then
"split the text into the applicable number of fields in EXCEL. To see if
your "text" lines up into equally spaced fields - apply the COURIER
font. Select your report and then paste it into Column A. Once the
report is in Excel. Select the column usually column A - then select
DATA - Text To Columns and follow the instruction on the popup menu to
split the text into individual columns. If you can have your database
generate a report as "CSV" or "TABBED" records, then you can import
directly into EXCEL.
If your database generates a report as a WORD table - then copy and
paste the table directly into EXCEL. But for the information to lineup
correctly you need to remove all of the following: Any paragraph marks,
tab marks and manual line breaks and replace them with a single space.
To do this - in WORD select find and replace - select the MORE button -
then select Special and then in the select paragraph marks, tab marks
and manual line breaks (one at a time) and then in the replace box -
just hit the space bar 1 time and the above items will be replaced. For
anymore information info on the conversion - I would need to see what
the report looks like.

 

[Guest]

Thank you for the information it really helped. One more thing is there a way
for me to split the cells all at once instead of having to do it on cell at a
time?

 

[wjohnson]

After you paste the info into EXCEL, Select ALL of Column A or whateve
Column you pasted the text into (do not select Cell A1 and DRAG down
and select DATA - then Text To Columns you can manaully split (i.e
Column A) into as many pieces as you want - just keep scrolling to th
right and placeing the "tabs" (ie division points) where ever you want
Single click to "place a "cell break"" double click to remove it.
If this doesn't answer your question - then let me know

 

[Guest]

Hi I am trying to do a similar thing but when I try to remove the paragraph
returns in my word document the find and replace function does not find any
of the paragraph marks (even though they are there). I have tried it with
different special characters and this feature doesn't seem to work at all. Is
there somethign I am doing wrong or something else I can try?

 

[Dave Peterson]

Saved from a previous post:

If your cells in your word table contain paragraph mark or linebreak characters,
then excel will bring them over as separate cells.

One way around it is to convert those paragraph marks & linebreaks to unique
characters, then copy|paste and then convert them back to linefeeds.

I like this technique (inside a copy of the word file):
Select your table.
Edit|replace|Special (show More if required)
Find what: (paragraph mark under Special button)
replace with: $$$$$ (if $$$$$ doesn't appear in the table)
replace all

Same thing with Manual Line break (from under Special).

Now copy the table into Excel.

Edit|Replace
Replace what: $$$$$
Replace with: ctrl-j
replace all.

Don't forget to close the word document without saving (or hit undo as many
times as necessary).

 

[Guest]

Will this work with a txt file opened in word? I'm using Windows xp and
office 2003 on my work computer and for some reason when I use find and
replace - special character paragraph mark, it doesn't recognise the
paragraph marks in the document..... I tried it on my home computer which is
running the beta version of the latest word 2007 and it works ok. I'm
wondering if I have a setting wrong on my work computer since the same
procedure is not working there. Any suggestions???

 

[Dave Peterson]

If it's a text file that's brought into word, it'll depend on what you do with
it.

If you create a table in MSWord, it'll work nicely.

If you don't create a table in MSWord, then you may find that what you paste
into Excel won't be what you want (everything going into a single cell????).

Depends on what you do in MSWord.

Will this work with a txt file opened in word? I'm using Windows xp and
office 2003 on my work computer and for some reason when I use find and
replace - special character paragraph mark, it doesn't recognise the
paragraph marks in the document..... I tried it on my home computer which is
running the beta version of the latest word 2007 and it works ok. I'm
wondering if I have a setting wrong on my work computer since the same
procedure is not working there. Any suggestions???