Importing/Updating in Access (or from Excel)

  • Thread starter Thread starter czbacnik
  • Start date Start date
C

czbacnik

I've created a mailing list in Access with information from all
newspapers in MN (approx. 375 newspapers). The problem is that there
are missing pieces from each newspaper (I need the editor's name, who
to send advertisments to, etc). I want to be able to send each
newspaper an email and have them type in thier missing information. How
can I do this so that

(a) I do not have to go through 375 newspaper updates and type them in
myself?

and

(b) SAVE as much time as possible!

I would appreciate any advice/help!!!

Thanks,

Carla
 
Hi Carla -- Is this a one-time update or ongoing? For the former, this is
easy to accomplish.

Create a folder to house the documents where the updates are made...most
likely an Excel spreadsheet. Be sure to include all relevant information as
well as an identifier.

Loop through the folder to import the information into one table.

Use an update query to update your information table with the missing
information. Join on the indentifier and update null fields.
 
Thank you for your help! I am not sure what you mean by "loop through
the folder to import the information into one table."

Should I create a table on excel with the same information, send that
as an attachment (including all other newspaper information...so the
receiver would have to scroll through to find their information and
fill in the blanks) and then import onto Access?

Again, I appreciate your help!

Carla
 
Carla,

maybe a pdf with text boxes for the missing data (and to add any data
you want/need). Or create an html email like the pdf. I'm not sure what
(s)he ment by loop through either, maybe to import the data by
stepping throught the folder until all files were imported?

I don't know if my suggestion is helpful or not, I'm still learning.

Eric
 
Food for thought:

If you are using Outlook as your email program, the following is
possible.

1) Access can link to any folder within your outlook application and
look at the email.
2) in the fields called "Contents" within that link is the body of the
email message.

If you sent out your email with specific instrunctions for each user as
to what fields and what information with perphaps the information
formated in a special way, you could parse the contents to find your
information.

When you receive the reply email, drag it into a special folder and
then have your program look in that folder to glean the information.
(You may want to open it and make sure it is formated properly. You
will need to know which customer, and what fields for each email.)

Access can send email with attachments. but it would be better to send
only the one customer's information in the spreadsheet for that
customer. If you don't do that you have no way of knowning what
information to use in any particular spreadsheet when they return it.
If you have 5 customers in one sheet and you send that same sheet to
them and they all return it to you. When you open any one of them, how
will the program figure out which piece of information to use, did the
customer update only their line? which field was missing for customer 1
and which field for customer 3 and did customer 2 update customer 1's
line instead of his own. If you send a spreadsheet it has to be a
different sheet for each customer.

Ron
 
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