There may be times when your data is in another file format or program, but you want to work with it by capitalizing on the many useful features of Access. To use external data with Access, you can either import it or link to it.

 Access can import or link to data from a variety of different sources, including:

• dBASE and Paradox databases.

• Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.

• Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheets (linking is read-only).

• Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Outlook.

• Delimited and fixed-width text files.

• HTML.

• Other Access databases and Access projects.

• ODBC data sources, such as SQL tables, Microsoft Visual FoxPro, and any other programs and databases that support the ODBC protocol.