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  1. #1
    Yogibear is offline Novice
    Windows Vista Access 2007
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Posts
    18

    Formstack & Importing Data via excel, best way to collect data?

    I work for a university and maintain a student database in Access.

    We currently use Formstack (a vendor) to create forms in order to collect data from students. This is our only source of data. I then import data via excel into Access. I'm finding this process cumbersome as I have to alter field names to match access and then have to double check who I have imported already.



    I am an amateur Access user. I was wondering could we make the databse web based and give students access to their record to fill in their information? What are the pros and cons? My employer does not provide technical support.

    Thanks.

  2. #2
    June7's Avatar
    June7 is online now VIP
    Windows 7 64bit Access 2010 32bit
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    The Great Land
    Posts
    52,795
    I am sure it is possible.

    If your IT staff won't support this on the university website, would have to serve the interface with a 3rd party, then you probably have to talk to your contracts office about paying for this.

    Review https://www.accessforums.net/access/...ity-41131.html

    There are other web programming software that can interact with a regular Access database (Cold Fusion comes to mind) but this is very specialized coding involving web design and again, need a website to host it on.
    How to attach file: http://www.accessforums.net/showthread.php?t=70301 To provide db: copy, remove confidential data, run compact & repair, zip w/Windows Compression.

  3. #3
    NTC is offline VIP
    Windows 7 64bit Access 2010 32bit
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    2,392
    the import can be set up to deal with the non-aligned column names: (presuming that they are not constantly changing) - mapping to the correct column is very do-able.
    the import also can first check for duplicates

    You need to set up more import code/tasks/queries to ease your daily job. In fact having a hybrid situation where there is data outside the database that then needs to get efficiently imported into the database is very very common. Each situation is different and depends on the structure of the data - but in the most general terms: first import it into a holding table, then check for duplicates via query, delete those duplicates via query, then write to the final table and use aliases to map column names. This can all be set up to run one a single import button command.

Please reply to this thread with any new information or opinions.

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