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  1. #1
    digitaldb is offline Novice
    Windows 7 64bit Access 2010 32bit
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Posts
    16

    How do I collect data from Outlook in Access 2013


    In Access 2007 and 2010 there was a "Collect Data" group under "External Data" where I could click "Create E-mail" that would build an email form for an outbound email in Outlook based on a table. I would then send the email out, then collect the data back into the table from Outlook when the recipient of the email responded with a filled out form. I don't see how to do that with Access 2013. I do see the "Email" button, but that's for something else. I see no 'Collect Data' in Access 2013 like the picture below shows from Access 2007. Can somebody point me in the right direction ? Thanks.
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  2. #2
    digitaldb is offline Novice
    Windows 7 64bit Access 2010 32bit
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Posts
    16
    WTF - Just found this on the ms website:
    -----------------------------------------
    Access 2013 doesn't support creating new Data Collection forms. However, it does process data collection forms that were created in earlier versions of Access.
    -----------------------------------------
    They replaced this feature with " " , yep nothing. I used that feature quite a bit, it makes no sense to just remove it. I've upgraded my work computer from
    Office 07 to Office 13 and I'm starting to regret it and wish I had just moved up to 2010.

  3. #3
    luctrue is offline Novice
    Windows 8 Access 2013
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Posts
    1
    Hello digitaldb,

    Have you found a solution to your problem? I am curious about the same...

  4. #4
    jrjackso is offline Novice
    Windows Vista Access 2013
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
    Posts
    1

    Unhappy Collect and Update Data via E-mail

    Quote Originally Posted by digitaldb View Post
    WTF - Just found this on the ms website:
    -----------------------------------------
    Access 2013 doesn't support creating new Data Collection forms. However, it does process data collection forms that were created in earlier versions of Access.
    -----------------------------------------
    They replaced this feature with " " , yep nothing. I used that feature quite a bit, it makes no sense to just remove it. I've upgraded my work computer from
    Office 07 to Office 13 and I'm starting to regret it and wish I had just moved up to 2010.
    Please, if anyone knows a work around, I would really appreciate it. I can't believe they did that. I would think if anything they would improve it by allowing you to save a customized email form... Does any one know if I can reload MS Access 2010 but keep the 2013 versions of the other MS programs?

    Thanks!

  5. #5
    Mr.Mark is offline Novice
    Windows 7 64bit Access 2010 64bit
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Posts
    2
    Hi jrjackso,

    I've been looking around at everything from Outlook and VBA to PowerShell, and though I haven't tested a functional workaround yet, I think I may be on to something:

    Microsoft's replacement for this feature, I believe, exists in SharePoint 2013. In Access 2013 it seems you can only "link" to either a SQL/ODBC Data source or a SharePoint List, all the others (even Access data sources) only allows you to "import" the data, meaning if the source data changes it does not get updated in your Access 2013 tables.

    Following this clue, I took a look at our Office 365 hosted SharePoint 2013 site, where we got 2 free 1 year Office 365 accounts as perk when my company switched ISPs to CenturyLink. I've been using one of these accounts to play around with the new features in Access 2013 Web Apps hosted on a SharePoint 2013 site, a feature of the Office 365 admins.

    So far it is unclear if Microsoft's own Exchange email Server will become necessary at some point to finally get incoming email to show up in an Access 2013 table. Overall, I can tell you this much: this process will now require many more Microsoft products to implement. It looks like the Office 365 account also includes hosted Exchange Server functionality as well as Azure AD. It's unclear if our company will go the Office 365 direction or roll our own server, the cost per user for Office 365 is tremendous but now that I know about this extra functionality it explains why a bit better.

    For now I'm using my account to evaluate if it's even *possible* to accomplish it going this route. Our website and company email are hosted on a more traditional cpanel (Linux) by a different hosting company (Bluehost). All we really need is IMAP, the same ancient protocol that everybody's Outlook still uses to connect to the email server. Even if I do get email to work thru a SharePoint 2013 Email "App" we may still go with a PowerShell/VBA/3rdparty script to just pull new emails from IMAP and push them to an "Access-approved" data source like SQL Server where it can get to them, and run it on scheduled task.

    I will post updates as I get them. Hope this helps,
    MM

  6. #6
    NTC is offline VIP
    Windows 7 64bit Access 2013
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    2,392
    this idea / feature has been 'deprecated' - i.e. dropped.... In truth a web app is the overwhelming solution for geographically separate entities to enter data into a common point. I think attempting to maintain this obscure and complicated feature just wasn't worthwhile and frankly I can understand... The quick & dirty equivalent replacement is to have the emails with an excel attachment - assuming a non changing template then these excels can be imported quite easily...but definitely it is not automatic. Otherwise one should go with a web app.

  7. #7
    Mr.Mark is offline Novice
    Windows 7 64bit Access 2010 64bit
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Posts
    2
    Hi NTC,

    My purpose was not to collect data via email "forms", but to import and maintain incoming emails as a data-source-table accessible to a Access 2013 Web App, to create a CRM-like functionality. (a 'Send Email' macro function already exists in 2013, so I was kinda surprised there was no way to 'get' emails also.)

    So far, I think I've got it. What I said before is true, it does require many more Microsoft products to work, but admittedly much less than I thought. The Office Suite and a SharePoint server is all you need.

    Be forewarned, this method is pretty 'kludgey', but you can set it up in less than a few hours once you know what to do. If you plan to automate the steps required to maintain & update the linked-email-data-source on a server, it will require the Office Suite installed on the server and some VBA script set on a Scheduled Task. I haven't gotten that far yet.

    1) You'll need your Access 2013 Web App, which we'll call https://webapp.sharepoint.com/ and an offline version of it as well saved locally, which we'll call WebApp.accdb (to produce a locally-saved version of your Web App go to File -> Create Reports). You'll also need Outlook and Excel 2013.

    2) Open Outlook and set up the email account you'd like as your data source.

    3) In WebApp.accdb, go to Import Data and select Outlook Folder, and choose to create a Linked Table. I'll call mine techsupport@website.com/Inbox.

    4) When you have the Linked Table up in WebApp.accdb, select Export SharePoint List, and export it to https://webapp.sharepoint.com/. I'll call it InboxSPL.

    5) Now you have links to an email folder in Outlook 2013 and a SharePoint List in https://webapp.sharepoint.com/ both set up in WebApp.accdb, giving you two linked tables. But how to get the data from one table to the other?

    6) While you have the table for techsupport@website.com/Inbox up, go to export data to an Excel spreadsheet. Save it on the desktop and call it something like InboxTransfer.xlsx. When you finish, Access will ask you if you want to save the export steps so they can be repeated quickly again. Do so.

    7) Now open InboxSPL in WebApp.accdb. Go to import Excel spreadsheet and choose InboxTransfer.xlsx. Again Access will ask you if you'd like to save the import steps so they can be repeated again. Do so.

    8) Create a new macro in WebApp.accdb, with two steps: make both steps RunSavedImportExport, the first one for Export-InboxTransfer and the second for Import-InboxTransfer. Call the macro something like RunInboxTransfer.

    9) Now, the finale: Go back to https://webapp.sharepoint.com/ and create a new table from existing data source InboxSPL. Viola. You should now see any emails that were in your Outlook folder now present in a table in your Web App.

    Now for the last mile, the parts required to maintain this link & keep it updated. Firstly, Outlook must always be open for the linked table techsupport@website.com/Inbox to stay updated. Next, the RunInboxTransfer macro must be run in WebApp.accdb to transfer the data from the Outlook data source the the SharePoint list. Both these steps can be automated, tho I haven't gotten there yet.

    Lastly, a caveat: for whatever reason in my tables both the 'From' field and the 'Sender Name' both only show the person's name, no email address. I can't find the sender's email address anywhere in the data in my tables. I can't tell if Outlook is not providing the data or if Access must be configured to ask for it. If I figure something out I'll let y'all know.

    Cheers,
    MM

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