Large Excel test fields into Access

[Guest]

I'm doing a project where I have to use the existing data in a large Excel
database, and am trying to find a way to override the 255 character limit in
an Access text field. The field I need from Excel is often between 4 and 500
characters long, and I don't want to alter the format as there are thousands
of records I would have to deal with.

 

[John Nurick]

Hi Eec,

Try one of the following:

1) Create an empty table in Access that has the same field names as your
Excel sheet. Where Excel has large text filds, the Access table should
have memo rields. Then import the Excel data into the Access table.

2) Rearrange the rows in the Excel data (or add a dummy first row of
data) so that every column that may include a cell containing more than
255 characters does have more than 255 characters in that first row (the
idea is to force these columns to be interpreted as Memo rather than
Text).

3) The methods discussed at
http://www.dicks-blog.com/excel/2004/06/external_data_m.html

 

[Guest]

Thanks. The dummy row did the trick, and made what seemed an impossible
project feasible.