ACC2000: Cannot Import Spreadsheet If Field Name Begins with Space

ID: Q207878

The information in this article applies to:
Moderate: Requires basic macro, coding, and interoperability skills.


SYMPTOMS

When you try to import a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet into a Microsoft Access database, you may receive the following error message:

An error occurred trying to import file '<File Name>'. The file was not imported.


CAUSE

The error occurs if there is a space preceding one or more of the field names in the spreadsheet.


RESOLUTION

You can resolve the error in the following ways:


STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.


MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Problem

  1. Start Microsoft Excel and create the following spreadsheet. Type a space in front of the word "Cost":


    2. 
   Item           <space>Cost       Quantity
   a                   25              2
   b                   23              8
  2. Save the file as C:\My Documents\TestSpace.xls, and then quit Microsoft Excel.


  3. Start Microsoft Access and open the sample database Northwind.mdb.


  4. On the File menu, point to Get External Data, and then click Import.


  5. In the Import dialog box, select Microsoft Excel (*.xls) in the Files Of Type box, and then click TestSpace.xls. Click Import.


  6. Click Next in the first dialog box of the Import Spreadsheet Wizard.


  7. In the Does the first row specified contain column headings? dialog box, click First Row Contains Column Headings, and then click Finish. Note that you receive the error message.

    To resolve the error, open TestSpace.xls in Microsoft Excel and remove the space in front of the word "Cost." Then repeat steps 2 through 7 and note that the error does not occur.



REFERENCES

For more information about importing data, click Microsoft Access Help on the Help menu, type "import data" in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.

Additional query words: worksheet attach pra 


Keywords          : kberrmsg kbinterop kbdta IsmExl5 
Version           : WINDOWS:2000
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbbug

Last Reviewed: May 13, 1999