How To Import Excel Data Into Access?

Using Microsoft Access, you can match fields between or among Excel databases to create a relational database. In addition to aggregating or analyzing large amounts of data, Access files can contain multiple Excel spreadsheets. To use the Excel spreadsheet in Access, you must first import it. Several steps are required to accomplish this.

In this article, you will know about how to import Excel data to access by converting your Excel data to relational tables and moving it to Access.

Note:  It is necessary to remove all formatting in the Excel file before importing it. A few examples include centered text, bold text, underlining, etc. Make sure the column headings do not have any spaces. Access can recognize the columns and import them without errors when the spaces are removed.

Moving data from Excel to Access can be broken down into three steps.

• Step 1: Import data from Excel to Access
• Step 2: Use the Wizard for Table Analyzer to normalize the data
• Step 3: Integrate Excel data with Access

How to import Excel data to access?

Preparing and cleaning your data before importing can make the process go much more smoothly. It is much easier to settle into your new home if you clean out and organize your possessions before moving.

Import your data after cleaning it

It's a good idea to do the following in Excel before you import data into Access:

1. Multiply the values in one cell if they are not atomic (i.e. multiple values in one cell).
2. It is possible to remove multiple embedded spaces, leading, and trailings by using the TRIM command.
3. Please remove all non-printing characters.
4. Errors in spelling and punctuation should be corrected.
5. Duplicate fields or rows should be removed.
6. Numbers formatted as text or dates formatted as numbers should not be included in columns of data.

Import the correct data type

In general, choosing the best data type involves choosing the smallest one that matches the kind of data you have and allows for all its possible values.

Normalizing Data Using the Wizard

It may seem daunting to go through the process of normalizing your data at first. With the Table Analyzer Wizard in Access, normalizing tables is much easier.

Select columns and automatically create relationships in a new table. Make an existing column a primary key, rename a table, and undo your last action using button commands

Here are some things you can do with this wizard:

1. Convert a table into smaller tables and automatically create a primary and foreign key relationship between the tables.
2. Create a new ID field that uses the AutoNumber data type or add a primary key to an existing field with unique values.
3. Ensure referential integrity with cascading updates by automatically creating relationships. You can add cascading deletes later to prevent accidentally deleting data, but they are not automatically added.
4. Identify duplicate or redundant data in new tables (such as customers with two different phone numbers) and update them as needed.
5. Append "_OLD" to the name of the original table after backing it up. Once the original table is recreated, a query requires its original name so that all existing forms and reports can use the new structure.

Integrating Excel data with Access

In Excel, it's a simple matter to connect to the Access data. This is after you've normalized the data in Access and created a query or table to reconstruct the original data. Access now recognizes your data as an external data source, allowing the workbook to connect to it through a data connection. 

A data connection identifies, logs on to, and accesses the external data source. In addition to storing connection information in a workbook, connection files such as Office Data Connection (ODC) files (.odc extension) and Data Source Name files (.dsn extension) may also store this information. 

The Excel workbook can also be automatically updated whenever the data in Access is updated once you have connected to external data.

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