How can I modify a saved Microsoft Access 2007 or 2010 Import Specification?

Admin 1
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Does anyone know how to modify an existing import specification in Microsoft Access 2007 or 2010? In older versions there used to be an Advanced button presented during the import wizard that allowed you to select and edit an existing specification. I no longer see this feature but hope that it still exists and has just been moved somewhere else.

ms-access
10 Answers

I am able to use this feature on my machine using MS Access 2007.

  • On the Ribbon, select External Data
  • Select the "Text File" option
  • This displays the Get External Data Wizard
  • Specify the location of the file you wish to import
  • Click OK. This displays the "Import Text Wizard"
  • On the bottom of this dialog screen is the Advanced button you referenced
  • Clicking on this button should display the Import Specification screen and allow you to select and modify an existing import spec.

For what its worth, I'm using Access 2007 SP1

Tim_Lentine_28330

I don't believe there is a direct supported way. However, if you are desparate, then under navigation options, select to show system objects. Then in your table list, system tables will appear. Two tables are of interest here: MSysIMEXspecs and MSysIMEXColumns. You'll be able edit import and export information. Good luck!

Knox_48730

Tim Lentine's answer seems to be true even in the full release. There is just one other thing I would like to mention.

If you complete your import without going into "Advanced..." and saving the spec, but you do save the import for reuse at the end of the wizard (new feature AFAIK), you will not be able to go back and edit that spec. It is built into the "Saved Import". This may be what Knox was referring to.

You can, however, do a partial work around:

  1. Import a new file (or the same one all over again) but,
  2. This time choose to append, instead of making a new
  3. Click OK.
  4. Go into "advanced" All your column heading and data-types will be there.
  5. Now you can make the changes you need and save the spec inside that dialog. Then cancel out of that import (that is not what you wanted anyway, right?)
  6. You can then use that spec for any further imports. It's not a full solution, but saves some of the work.
Admin1

I used Mike Hansen's solution, it is great. I modified his solution in one point, instead of replacing parts of the string I modified the XML-attribute. Maybe it is too much of an effort when you can modify the string but anyway, here is my solution for that. This could easily be further modified to change the table etc. too, which is very nice imho.

What was helpful for me was a helper sub to write the XML to a file so I could check the structure and content of it:

Sub writeStringToFile(strPath As String, strText As String)
    '#### writes a given string into a given filePath, overwriting a document if it already exists
        Dim objStream
        
        Set objStream = CreateObject("ADODB.Stream")
        objStream.Charset = "utf-8"
        objStream.Open
        objStream.WriteText strText
        objStream.SaveToFile strPath, 2
    End Sub

The XML of an/my ImportExportSpecification for a table with 2 columns looks like this:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<ImportExportSpecification Path="mypath\mydocument.xlsx" xmlns="urn:www.microsoft.com/office/access/imexspec">
    <ImportExcel FirstRowHasNames="true" AppendToTable="myTableName" Range="myExcelWorksheetName">
        <Columns PrimaryKey="{Auto}">
            <Column Name="Col1" FieldName="SomeFieldName" Indexed="NO" SkipColumn="false" DataType="Double"/>
            <Column Name="Col2" FieldName="SomeFieldName" Indexed="NO" SkipColumn="false" DataType="Text"/>
        </Columns>
    </ImportExcel>
</ImportExportSpecification>

Then I wrote a function to modify the path. I left out error-handling here:

Function modifyDataSourcePath(strNewPath As String, strXMLSpec As String) As String
'#### Changes the path-name of an import-export specification
    Dim xDoc As MSXML2.DOMDocument60
    Dim childNodes As IXMLDOMNodeList
    Dim nodeImExSpec As MSXML2.IXMLDOMNode
    Dim childNode As MSXML2.IXMLDOMNode
    Dim attributesImExSpec As IXMLDOMNamedNodeMap
    Dim attributeImExSpec As IXMLDOMAttribute

    
    Set xDoc = New MSXML2.DOMDocument60
    xDoc.async = False: xDoc.validateOnParse = False
    xDoc.LoadXML (strXMLSpec)
    Set childNodes = xDoc.childNodes
 
    For Each childNode In childNodes
           If childNode.nodeName = "ImportExportSpecification" Then
                Set nodeImExSpec = childNode
                Exit For
            End If
    Next childNode
    
    Set attributesImExSpec = nodeImExSpec.Attributes
    
    For Each attributeImExSpec In attributesImExSpec
        If attributeImExSpec.nodeName = "Path" Then
            attributeImExSpec.Value = strNewPath
            Exit For
        End If
    Next attributeImExSpec
    
    modifyDataSourcePath = xDoc.XML
End Function

I use this in Mike's code before the newSpec is executed and instead of the replace statement. Also I write the XML-string into an XML-file in a location relative to the database but that line is optional:

Set myNewSpec = CurrentProject.ImportExportSpecifications.item("TemporaryImport")
    myNewSpec.XML = modifyDataSourcePath(myPath, myNewSpec.XML)
    Call writeStringToFile(Application.CurrentProject.Path & "\impExpSpec.xml", myNewSpec.XML)
    myNewSpec.Execute
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