Creating a database definition without data using an external file

[Guest]

I have a large undelimited ascii text file to import into an Access DB, but I
want to define the DB using an automated method which will create the correct
field names and especially lengths. I can easily set up a delimited text
file in a format such as "Field 1 Name, Text, 10, Field 2 Name, Text, 15"
etc., but I don't see a way to create a new DB using something like that. Is
there a way?

 

[Joseph Meehan]

I have a large undelimited ascii text file to import into an Access
DB, but I want to define the DB using an automated method which will
create the correct field names and especially lengths. I can easily
set up a delimited text file in a format such as "Field 1 Name, Text,
10, Field 2 Name, Text, 15" etc., but I don't see a way to create a
new DB using something like that. Is there a way?

Sorry I don't know the answer to your question, but are you sure you
want to do this. It sounds like you may be dividing up like data into
different database files when it would work better all in one file. Of
course I could be way off.

 

[Jeff Boyce]

I'm thinking you'd have to do the work to define the fields one way or
another. If you do it in the ascii text file, you'll also have to write the
routines to create the new Access database (if this is possible).

Or you could create the Access table(s) you need to normalize your data (no
guarantees an ascii text file represents well-normalized data), import the
raw text file, and use queries to parse it into the tables.

Just one person's opinion

Jeff Boyce
Microsoft Office/Access MVP

 

[Guest]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I think what I've learned is that
whenever I create a long export data record I need to use delimiters to help
Access define it, if I ever want to pull the data into Access. Unfortunately
I'm working with an old software package (proprietary Real Estate database
software) and adding delimiters after the fact is difficult. - Dave