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How to Export Microsoft® Access Data to Excel

How to use VBA to export to Excel workbooks data from Access query datasheets and to format the worksheets once the data have arrived.

Last updated on 2022-10-27 by David Wallis.


Preface

For many of the databases I develop I include an export-to-Excel capability. This is for clients who want the means of dumping data so that they can do their own thing without risk to the primary data.

This article describes a VBA procedure for dumping data from Access into Excel, exploiting the DoCmd.TransferSpreadsheet method to take you beyond the explanation of the workings of this method that you read in many websites.


Initial Considerations

Business Managment System database dashboard

Compounded from client requirements over the years, I've identified these are the main features of an export-to-Excel capability:

All DMW databases supplied to clients are split — Front End (FE) and Back End (BE). FEs contain queries, forms, reports, macros and modules, and, as appropriate, a table or two, as I'll explain below.

BEs contain tables only.

From the viewpoint of a developer, these are considerations:

Were users to be allowed to tinker, it would be an impractical and time-consuming task for me to provide upgrades and on-gong support to the client. And, the client would not be happy with the bill.


VBA TransferSpreadsheet Method

Our procedure sExportToExcel to export the data uses the TransferSpreadsheet method to export the contents of a table, or of a query datasheet, as a named Excel file to a named folder:

Sub sExportToExcel(query$, path$)

DoCmd.TransferSpreadsheet _

TransferType:=acExport, _

SpreadsheetType:=acSpreadsheetTypeExcel12Xml, _

TableName:=query$ ,_

FileName:=path$, _

HasFieldNames:=True

End Sub

For example
sExportToExcel("qsResults", "S:\Reports\Results.XLSX")
exports the contents of the query qsResults to the folder S:\Reports\ as an Excel file named Results.XLSX.


Programming for Opening the Exported Workbook

Thus far our procedure creates the workbook and saves it. Experience suggests that most users want to see the results of the export as soon as it’s complete.

So, the next process in ExportToExcel is to display the completed workbook.

Sub sExportToExcel(query$, path$)

Dim xlApp As Object, wkbk As Object


DoCmd.TransferSpreadsheet _

TransferType:=acExport, _

SpreadsheetType:=acSpreadsheetTypeExcel12Xml, _

TableName:=query$, _

FileName:=path$, _

HasFieldNames:=True


Set xlApp = CreateObject("Excel.Application")

With xlApp

.Visible = True

Set wkbk = .Workbooks.Open(path$)

End With

End Sub


Error Handling

At this point we will include error handling and make sure that the procedure releases any connection with Excel once it has presented the workbook:

Sub sExportToExcel(query$, path$)

On Error Goto errHandler

Dim xlApp As Object, wkbk As Object

Dim msg$, icon&, title$


DoCmd.TransferSpreadsheet _

TransferType:=acExport, _

SpreadsheetType:=acSpreadsheetTypeExcel12Xml, _

TableName:=query$, _

FileName:=path$, _

HasFieldNames:=True


Set xlApp = CreateObject("Excel.Application")

With xlApp

.Visible = True

Set wkbk = .Workbooks.Open(path$)

End With


procDone:

Set wkbk = Nothing

Set xlApp = Nothing

Exit Sub

errHandler:

title$ = "DATA EXPORT ERROR"

icon& = vbOKOnly + vbCritical

msg$ = _

"Please take screen clip of this message." & _

vbNewline & vbNewLine & _

"If not, make note of following details." & _

vbNewline & vbNewLine & _

"Calling Proc: ExportToExcel" & _

vbNewLine & _

"Error Number: " & Err.Number & _

vbNewLine & _

"Description: " & Err.Description

MsgBox msg$, icon&, title$"

Resume procDone

End Sub


Path and Workbook Naming

You need to take care when supplying values to the path$ argument of sExportToExcel(query$, path$). Consider these values:

"S:\Reports\Results.XLSX" This works satisfactorily — the Workbook named Results.XLSX is directed to the S:\Reports\ folder.

"S:\Reports\Results" This works satisfactorily too — the procedure attaches the .XLSX extension to the workbook's name so that Results.XLSX is directed to the S:\Reports\ folder.

"S:\Reports\Results\" Here the problem arises that the final \ causes the procedure to treat S:\Reports\Results\ as a folder, without specifying any workbook at all, with resulting error conditions, e.g. —

Excel Unanticipated Error error message

In the full-blown export program described below there is code to contend with this issue.


Program Refinement — Providing for Folder Changes

In my experience, clients like to determine for themselves to which folder the export process directs the workbooks it creates.

This is a particular requirement when a client’s IT want the freedom to change locations for files on a network and to re-map drives.

One method of providing for this uses an addition to the two main FE and BE files. This third file I name KEY.ini, which is a simple text file, the content of which is this:

Important

'~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This file to be placed in same folder as USER file

Edit ExportPath to correspond to your folder structure

'~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DEFAULT]

ExportPath = "S:\Reports\"

Now we need to accommodate KEY.ini into the export process. The process must pick out the export path from KEY.ini.

In tune with good practice we are going to structure our programming by separating our code into a number of subroutines. Each of these will perform a distinct operation, one of which will be the picking from KEY.ini.


The Controlling Procedure

This is the sequence of routines that the controlling program, named sExportData, will call:

fnGetPathFromKey This function subroutine will look for KEY.ini and get the export path from it. If fnGetPathFromKey cannot locate KEY.ini, or is unable the find the information about the export path, then it will return an error message to sExportData.

fnCheckPath This function subroutine will seek to confirm the existence of the folder to which dumps are to be directed. If fnCheckPath cannot locate that folder it will report the folder as missing to sExportData.

fnExportToExcel This will complete the export program passing data from Access and into Excel, the opening Excel to display the data, and the formatting of the worksheet.


Get Path from KEY File Subroutine

The job of the subroutine fnGetPathFromKey is to retrieve the path of the back-end DATA file from KEY.ini:

Function fnGetPathFromKey(pathINI$, element$) As String

On Error GoTo errHandler

Dim i&, lenElement&

Dim fstChar34%, lstChar34%

Dim lineINI$, path$


If Len(Dir(pathINI$)) > 0 And Len(element$) > 0 Then

lenElement& = Len(element$)

i& = FreeFile()

Open pathINI$ For Input As #i&

Do While Not EOF(i&)

Line Input #i&, lineINI$

If Left(lineINI$, lenElement&) = element$ Then

path$ = Mid(lineINI$, lenElement& + 1)

Exit Do

End If

Loop

Close #i&

fstChar34% = InStr(path$, Chr(34)) + 1

lstChar34% = InStrRev(path$, Chr(34))

path$ = Mid(path$, fstChar34%, lstChar34% - fstChar34%)

Else

path$ = "Error"

End If


procDone:

fnGetPathFromKey = path$

Exit Function

errHandler:

path$ = "Error"

Resume procDone

End Function

If it's unable to return the whereabouts of DATA, then fnGetPathFromKey warnings from which sExportData composes messages to the user.


Check Path Subroutine

The job of the second subroutine, fnCheckPath, in the export program is to confirm that the folder specified in KEY.ini actually exists:

Function fnCheckPath(path$) As String

On Error GoTo errHandler

Dim msg$

If Dir(path$, vbDirectory) = "." Then

msg$ = vbNullString

Else

msg$ = _

"No folder matches entry in KEY file"

End If

procDone:

fnCheckPath = msg$

Exit Function

errHandler:

msg$ = Err.Description

Resume procDone

End Function

fnCheckPath returns a null string if the folder is in place, or a message if that folder is missing or that the program cannot find it at the anticipated location.


Export to Excel Subroutine

My clients most like to see these actions performed by the export program:

The third and final subroutine in the program is fnExportToWorkbook. This routine contains lines of code aimed at smartening up the contents of the worksheet created by the export:

Function fnExportToWorkbook( _

query$, path$, _

fileName$, wksName$, _

colsCurrency$, colsDate$ _

) As String

On Error GoTo errHandler

Dim xlApp As Object, wkbk As Object, wks As Object

Dim file$

Dim formatCur$, formatDate$, intColor&

Dim arrayCols() As String, col$, n%, i%, w!

Dim cell As Range

Dim msg$

' Worksheet formats

formatCur$ = "£#,##0.00"

formatDate$ = "yyyy-mm-dd"

intColor& = RGB(100, 200, 200)

' Create workbook

file$ = path$ & fileName$

DoCmd.TransferSpreadsheet _

TransferType:=acExport, _

SpreadsheetType:=acSpreadsheetTypeExcel12Xml, _

TableName:=query$, _

FileName:=file$, _

HasFieldNames:=True

' Open workbook

Set xlApp = CreateObject("Excel.Application")

With xlApp

.Visible = True

Set wkbk = .Workbooks.Open(file$)

End With

' Format worksheet

Set wks = wkbk.worksheets(1)

With wks

.Name = wksName$

' Currency columns

arrayCols = Split(colsCurrency$, ",")

For i = LBound(arrayCols) To UBound(arrayCols)

With .Columns(arrayCols(i))

.NumberFormat = formatCur$

End With

Next i

' Date columns

arrayCols = Split(colsDate$, ",")

For i = LBound(arrayCols) To UBound(arrayCols)

With .Columns(arrayCols(i))

.NumberFormat = formatDate$

End With

Next i

' Filters

With .Range("A1")

.Select

.autofilter

End With

' Column width adjustments

With .Cells

.Select

.EntireColumn.AutoFit

End With

n% = .Cells(1, 1).End(xlToRight).Column

For i% = 1 To n%

With .Cells(1, i%)

w! = .EntireColumn.ColumnWidth

.EntireColumn.ColumnWidth = w! + 4

.HorizontalAlignment = xlCenter

.Interior.Color = intColor&

.Font.Bold = True

End With

Next i%

End With

With xlApp.ActiveWindow

.SplitColumn = 0

.SplitRow = 1

.FreezePanes = True

End With

msg$ = vbNullString

procDone:

Set wks = Nothing

Set wkbk = Nothing

Set xlApp = Nothing

fnExportToWorkbook = msg$

Exit Function

errHandler:

msg$ = _

Err.Number & ": " & Err.Description

Resume procDone

End Function


Completed Export to Excel Program

This is the controlling procedure that pulls together the subroutines to perform the export to Excel:

Sub sExportData(query$, fileName$, wksName$, _

colsCurrency$, colsDate$)

On Error GoTo errHandler

Dim bln As Boolean

Dim path$

Dim msg$

path$ = Left(CurrentProject.FullName, _

InStrRev(CurrentProject.FullName, "\"))

path$ = path$ & "KEY.ini"

path$ = fnGetPathFromKey(path$, "ExportPath")

Select Case path$

Case "Error"

msg$ = "Unanticipated error locating KEY"

bln = False

Case Else

bln = True

End Select

If bln Then msg$ = fnCheckPath(path$)

If msg$ = vbNullString Then

msg$ = fnExportToWorkbook( _

query$, path$, _

fileName$, wksName$, _

colsCurrency$, colsDate$)

Else

msg$ = _

"Folder for exports cannot be located. " & msg$

End If

procDone:

If msg$ <> vbNullString Then

MsgBox msg$, vbExclamation, "DATA EXPORT TO EXCEL"

End If

Exit Function

errHandler:

msg$ = _

"Please take screen clip of this message." & _

vbNewline & vbNewLine & _

"If not, make note of following details." & _

vbNewline & vbNewLine & _

"Process: sExportData>" & _

vbNewLine & _

"Error Number: " & Err.Number & _

vbNewLine & _

"Description: " & Err.Description

Resume procDone

End Function


This is how you might provide values for the arguments of sExportData:

query$ as “qsExportSalesByMonth” — your database query

fileName$ as “Export Sales” — the workbook file's name.

wksName$ as “Feb 2020” — the worksheet’s name

colsCurrency$ as “F:F” — Column F currency format

colsDate$ as “C:C,D:D” — Columns C and D date format.

Each argument value must be enclosed in the quotation marks as shown above.


Check Your References

Thanks to Marek, who on 2020-10-14 commented wisely on an ommission from my article at the time:

“Just in case this is of any help. I'm looking at your Export to Excel procedures on [this web page].

“I'm not sure if it would be helpful to add the need to add the reference to the Microsoft Excel Object Library as my version of Access was missing this.

“Kind regards and thank you for sharing your code.”

In your code, Access is making calls to Excel. For it to work you need to tell Access that you’re using Excel. This is how you tell Access:

  1. Go into the Visual Basic Editor in which you’ve written your code
  2. From the Tools menu, choose References to display the References dialog box –
  3. Excel VBE Referemces dialog box

  4. If Microsoft Excel ##.# Object Library is not included in your list of ticked references, scroll down the list and tick it there
  5. Click OK
  6. From the Debug menu, choose Compact.

The fifth action checks whether or not Access has got the hang of things.


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Thanks, in anticipation.

“Morning DMW, I've just been reading your awesome post on exporting access data to excel. It's very thorough and concise which I enjoy. Do you think it's possible to apply a doCmd.ApplyFilter at some point in the export process?”

Cheers, OB, 2018-09-03.