ACC2000: How to Create and Save Data Export Specifications

When you export data from a Microsoft Access 2000 database, you are able to set export specifications such as whether the new file has delimited or fixed-width fields, whether it has two-digit or four-digit years in dates, and even the names of the fields being exported. These specifications can be saved so that you may use them again without having to re-enter them in the Categories Export Specification dialog box. You can also create and save multiple specification sets and recall them when required.

To create and save export specifications, follow these steps:

1. Start Microsoft Access and open the sample database Northwind.mdb.
2. In the Database window, click Tables (under Objects), and then click Categories.
3. On the File menu, click Export.
4. In the Export To dialog box, click Text Files in the Save as type box, and then click Save.
   
   This opens the Export Text Wizard.
5. In the Export Text Wizard, click Advanced.
6. In the Categories Export Specification dialog box, make any changes required to create the format of the file. When you have selected all of the necessary specifications, click Save As.
7. Type a name for the set of specifications that you have created, such as Comma Delimited Categories, and then click OK.
   
   Those settings are now saved for use at another time. If you want to use the settings that you have just saved, skip step 8.
8. Rather than set all the specifications manually, you can choose to reload settings that were previously saved. To do this, click Specs in the Categories Export Specifications dialog box. A list of saved specifications appears. Select a specifications set, and then click OK.
   
   The specifications that were saved under that name are loaded in the Categories Export Specifications dialog box.
9. Click OK to return to the Export Wizard and complete the data export process, following the instructions in the wizard.

For more information about exporting data or database objects, click Microsoft Access Help on the Help menu, type export data or database objects to another database or file format in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.