Convert a Word Table to an Access Database
The Problem:
The genius who flew this desk before me created our sales database in a Word table. It's huge, it's ugly, and it doesn't exactly run like a gazelle. I'm not an Access expert, but I kinda suspect that using a database program might be a better choice than using a word processor. Unfortunately, that means it's up to me to shunt the Word table into Access.
The Solution:
Unless the table is really ugly, you can probably transfer its contents to Access without too many hairs going gray. Follow these general steps:
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Delete from the document any text that isn't in the table. (If this means major changes, use File
Save As to save a copy of the document under a different name, and then work on the copy.) -
Make sure the table has a heading row that identifies the fields. If not, add a heading row: click in the first row, choose Table
Insert Rows Above, format the new row differently from the other rows (for example, make the text bold and larger), and type the field names in it. -
Check that no cell in the table contains two or more paragraphs. If any does, rearrange the table to eliminate the extra paragraphs. (For example, if an address cell contains two lines, you might split it into two separate cells.) The easiest way to check is to select the table (choose Table
Select Table), press Ctrl+F, and search for ^p(the code for a paragraph mark). -
Click in the table, choose Table
Convert Table to Text, select the Tabs option, and click the OK button. -
Choose File
Save As, select Text Only in the "Save as type" drop-down list, and save the document as a text file. -
Launch Access (or switch to it), open the database (or create a new database), right-click an empty space in the Tables list, and choose Import from the shortcut menu.
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Select Text Files in the "Files of type" drop-down list.
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Select the Word document you saved as a text file, click the OK button, and follow the steps in the Import Text Wizard.