Access MS Access 2007 Help!

[shankzalot]

I have created a spreadsheet in Excel 2007, and have imported it into Access. I now have all the data in Access and am trying to create an invoice type form in Access. How do I enable the data to populate in the form? I do not wish to type in ever single account by hand, that would take forever.

Is there a way to create "xxx" number of forms from the already created table?

Thank you

Anthony

 

[pjmorris]

Morning Shanzalot. I must first declare that I'm not a fan of Access - its a brilliant program, but much to complicate for many day-to-day tasks. The best use I've seen of it is as a front end to an Oracle database, but I digress.

Excel is an outstanding tool for simple databases, and when linked to Word you can easily create all the forms you want. A simple precis of the process (as I recall) is:

1. Create the database in Excel (each column is a field (make sure you put a column title for each), each row is an entry - if using MS Office 2010 save the file as Excel version 2003 as the new format didn't work for me!
2. Create a form in Word. This is a mail merge, but select the 'Letter' options and use 'Existing Data' as the source. Essentially you create whatever form you want in word and then insert fields that are linked to the Excel spreadsheet. You can then select which records you want to turn into invoices.

I know this seems rude, and its not meant to be, but from you're question I sense that you've very little experience with Access and though what you want to do is not especially difficult, you might find the suggestion above is easier. Certainly it is the way I would do it.

Hope this helps - even if it isn't the direction you wanted to take.

Regards

Peter

 

[alow]

The problem with doing the "Database" in Excel and the mail merge to word is that it only works in Snapshots. You can't update the data in the form and have it update the master data. As far as Shankzalot's question, if you want forms to automatically be made, you can try messing around with the wizard to create a form based on a table with the fields already added in. To do this, open the table that you want to create the form from, go to the Create tab and click on Form. This will create a simple form containing the fields from the table and the data will already be linked. In order to see and edit the data in the form, click on the View button (the first button under Form Layout Tools on the Design tab of the Ribbon) and it will change and you can see and edit the data. You would then use the Record navigation buttons at the bottom left to move through the data records from the table.

 

[pjmorris]

Hi alow, fare comments, you are entirely correct that my solution doesn't allow the form for data input. But it seems unlikely that an invoice form would be an appropriate way to manage a customer and his various orders. As ever with Access it is the detailed design of the database structure which is critical and requires and a good understand of what is to be required. The Excel/Word combination is a simple and relatively straightforward solution.

It'll be interesting to see which route Shankzalot prefers.

 

[Vold]

I have created a spreadsheet in Excel 2007, and have imported it into Access. I now have all the data in Access and am trying to create an invoice type form in Access. How do I enable the data to populate in the form? I do not wish to type in ever single account by hand, that would take forever.

Is there a way to create "xxx" number of forms from the already created table?

Thank you

Anthony

Create just one form based on your Table with a wizard and view each record in turn.

Vold