Way OT - Excel Help

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

 

I have searched through Excel books and the Microsoft web site for

help on this particular task... but alas have found no answers.

 

I have disks and disks of names & addresses saved in Excel format.

 

I want to save these all of the data on these disks into one Excel

database and then print mailing labels from the database.

 

Is this possible? I cannot find any buttons or tools within Excel to

do it with.

 

Next, (if the above is not possible) is it possible to change the

format of the disk info from Excel to another type? I have worked

with Microsoft Works Databases where I can merge the data from the

database into a mailing label format (within Works) and print labels.

 

Is it possible to just change the format(or a way to save the Excel

data as Works data)? Would I just import the data from the Excel

database disks to the Works database?

 

I started working for a company that is sending out 20,000 to 30,000

pieces per month (which is now my job in addition to many, many other

tasks/job titles) and they were HAND ADDRESSING the envelopes for

10,000 of the pieces! I have about 50,000 names on these various

disks... there is absolutely no way that I am going to waste the time

or the hours paid out to various employees to hand-address.

 

(They were also hand-folding the tri-folds for the mailings. I solved

that by bringing in my folding machine... I cannot believe the waste

of money paid in hours for this and the plain waste of time... I can

get out 80,000 pieces with less expense and in less than half the time.)

 

Need to find a solution!

 

Thanks so much!

 

Andrea

[Guest guest]

I may be wrong but, if the info you have is in Excel, wouldn't you

be able to set up a new spreadsheet and import that info by using a

query? I am not well-versed in Excel (I am MUCH better with Access).

 

It just seems to me that there has to be a way to import it from the

disks into a new workbook... I just can't tell you how! lol

 

I peeked at the help section and think this may be a way to go:

 

Under Help - search " import " and look at:

 

" Copy an external data range and its underlying query to another

workbook "

 

You should be able to take the data from whichever label/columns and

place them into the new workbook and column relatively easily (easy

for me to say anyway I don't have to do it! lol) I am not sure how

to print labels in Excel... if you can... never had to since its a

spreadsheet.

 

If you can't get that to work, my final thought is to write to a

professor at your local college (one that teaches online Excel

courses would be great) and ask them how to do it. Most are very

willing to help! (I have sent a quick email to my old instructor to

see if she can help).

 

Another thought is to import that data into Access since that is a

specific database program that you just use the label wizard in

access for or that you could export into Word. While making a new

database in Access may be a bit time consuming initially, is sure

can't be any more time munching than what they have been doing.

Also, you can set up a form to add new contacts easily. Just a

thought.

 

These are the only things I can think of. Hope they help and don't

make it worse! Let me know how you end up doing it!

 

Laura

[Guest guest]

, " txstormlvr " <txstormlvr>

wrote:

>

> I may be wrong but, if the info you have is in Excel, wouldn't you

> be able to set up a new spreadsheet and import that info by using a

> query? I am not well-versed in Excel (I am MUCH better with Access).

>

> It just seems to me that there has to be a way to import it from the

> disks into a new workbook... I just can't tell you how! lol

 

<snip>

 

> Laura

 

 

 

Hi Laura,

 

Thanks so much for your suggestions...

 

I know I can save the disks into one database on Excel... just don't

know if I can print labels from them.

 

I have Microsoft Works and have been working with it for **years**.

Microsoft doesn't have it anymore (I believe the last version -which I

have- is 6.0 from 2001) Works was the precursor to Access.

 

I am confident that I can work around in Access and am thinking of

suggesting the office buy that software. Then, since both (the Excel

disks and the new database in Access) will be in the dBase format... I

should be able to convert the data from one program to the other. Or,

import the data into Access.

 

I mean, it makes sense. I just don't know how to do it.

 

Thanks again! I will return late today, but I will be looking for

another post from you. I also may call Microsoft and ask them how and

just purchase the Access for the office from them right there and

then. I hope they can just walk me through it.

 

Andrea

[Guest guest]

Hi, Andrea,

 

What you are looking for to print the labels is called a " mail

merge " , in Word go under Tools > Letters and Mailings > Mail Merge.

You can use the Help section & look under " Mail Merge " for more

specific info/instructions. It's a GREAT feature!

 

As far as combining the data or changing format, I know you can save

the workbook or worksheet as " comma separated value " to change the

format, " pour " into other programs, etc. I haven't done much with

that feature so that's about all the help I could offer there.

 

Good luck!

--Sue

 

, " Andrea " <itsmedrea1@c...>

wrote:

> <snip>

> I have disks and disks of names & addresses saved in Excel format.

>

> I want to save these all of the data on these disks into one Excel

> database and then print mailing labels from the database.

<snip>

>

> Next, (if the above is not possible) is it possible to change the

> format of the disk info from Excel to another type? I have worked

> with Microsoft Works Databases where I can merge the data from the

> database into a mailing label format (within Works) and print

labels.

<snip>

[Guest guest]

Hi Andrea -

 

If you are comfortable working with databases - you could take each file and

" save as " (file, save as) a tab or comma delimited file. Maybe tab would be

best, cause addresses tend to have commas in them.

 

Then you take each file and import it into the database you have created

with the fields you require - firstname, lastname, phone, address, city,

etc.

 

You will have to do some clean-up as imports never happen precisely - always

something to mess up which data gets into which filed.

 

Feel free to write me with any questions.

 

Ivy