Editing/Deleting Problem

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ralph Tomaccio
  • Start date Start date
R

Ralph Tomaccio

I'm unfamiliar with Access as well as new to Windows XP
Pro and am trying to convert Mac database files to
Access. Got the files into Access and can add new records
but, whenever I try to edit or delete a record I get this
message: "Updating data in a linked table is not
supported by this ISAM".

Going into Access Help does not clarify this at all for
me. Can some patient soul kindly explain what I must do
to be able to edit/delete records in a database?

Thank you,
Ralph
 
What is the source of the data that you are linking to? It may be something
as simple as re-registering a .dll

When you say "Mac database files" do you mean some MacIntosh database
program? Is the data still in that program?
 
Hello Kevin,

Maybe I don't really understand the function of Access. I
thought it was the Database program part of Office XP. It
appears, from my limited understanding, that it is meant
to work with other database programs and provide some
type of increased funtionality. I can't seem to find any
basic explanation of what it is designed to do.

I have converted Mac AppleWorks database files into Excel
format using tab & comma format. Then I open that into
Acess. When I try to edit/delete information in that file
when in Access, I get this message: "Updating data in a
linked table is not supported by this ISAM". Based on
your questions to me, it appears Access is not a database
program as I am accustomed to, but rather some type of
management program for file made in other programs. Am I
correct here? Can you enlighten me further?

When I open Access, am I then linking to the Excel file?
Should I be doing my editing/deleteing in Excel?

Thanks,
Ralph
 
Hi Ralph (and Kevin, PMFJI)

The "tab and comma" format you mention are actually textfiles, and you
seem to have set Access up to link to them. This means that the data is
staying in the textfiles.

For good technical reasons Access - like most other database software -
can't edit data in these files; hence the message about the ISAM, which
I think stands for "indexed sequential access module" or something.

The simplest thing to do is to delete the linked tables (the tables in
Access, not the files you created from the Appleworks data) and then
import the data to Access using File|Get External Data|Import. This
brings it into native Access tables which are fully editable.





Hello Kevin,

Maybe I don't really understand the function of Access. I
thought it was the Database program part of Office XP. It
appears, from my limited understanding, that it is meant
to work with other database programs and provide some
type of increased funtionality. I can't seem to find any
basic explanation of what it is designed to do.

I have converted Mac AppleWorks database files into Excel
format using tab & comma format. Then I open that into
Acess. When I try to edit/delete information in that file
when in Access, I get this message: "Updating data in a
linked table is not supported by this ISAM". Based on
your questions to me, it appears Access is not a database
program as I am accustomed to, but rather some type of
management program for file made in other programs. Am I
correct here? Can you enlighten me further?

When I open Access, am I then linking to the Excel file?
Should I be doing my editing/deleteing in Excel?

Thanks,
Ralph
Click to expand...

John Nurick [Microsoft Access MVP]

Please respond in the newgroup and not by email.
 
Back
Top