Converting ACT2000 to Acceess 2002 1

[jojofo]

I have a friend who has gotten quite fed up with ACT, and wants to know if it is possible to convert their databases from ACT 2000 to Access 2002. Anyone have anything on this?

 

[MichaelRed]

converting the information is relatively simplistic. "ACT" will export it's info in a few formats. I have done the 'fixed width' export, and discovered that it is actually a tab delimited file, which easily is imported into Ms. A. simply using ye olde standard File/GetExternalData/Import, and folloing the standard prompts.

Then, you are on your own, The various field names are not available in the export, so you need to gather this from a physical review of the ACT screen(s). If you are a 'heavy' duty user of ACT. you have probably used the customize feature to re-name some of the fields, so a standard list doesn't really solve the prolem, although it would be quite helpful.

Further, there is a fair degree of functionallity built into ACT which is certainly NOT present in the plain vanila Ms. A. table which will have ~ 75 fields - many of which are of the 'User Defined' nature and which may (probably ARE) either nearly or completly empty, so you also need to decide wheather these are of 'interest' and what do do re the small bits of info actually included.

MichaelRed
m.red@att.net

Searching for employment in all the wrong places

 

[jojofo]

Thanks. But, I'm not clear on your answer. Do I export info out of ACT and into some other program, then into Access. Sorry, just a hardware grunt, not too savy on Office/ACT.
Is there a place I can get step by step, or anything like that?

 

[MichaelRed]

Export from ACT to a 'fixed width' text file. The details, re this are in ACT (help?) I do rember that it starts at the File menu, and I was able to just 'read and heed' the directions. I do not use act, so cannot re-create the exact steps. This creates a ".txt" file (remander of path\name of your choice). When the file exists, use Ms. A. File\GetExternalData\Import. Again, from that point it is ye olde 'read and heed', with the exception that -ALTHOUGH the ACT info says is is a fixed width text file, it is actually a TAB DELIMITED text file, so the import 'wiz' needs to have delimited selected and the delimiter must be set to TAB. Finish the import. The table 'just appears' in Ms. A. and the real work begins, as noted previously ...

MichaelRed
m.red@att.net

Searching for employment in all the wrong places