If you are familiar with Microsoft Excel or other spreadsheet programs, you have probably seen a lot of similarities between Access and the spreadsheet programs, at least as far as tables are concerned. Access and Excel can work together to either export the output of an object to an Excel file, or load the output of a database object directly into Excel without directly exporting a separate file first.

To export the output of an object to a new file, select the name of the object you wish to export (like the Employees table) in the Database window. Click File à Export.

Pick a location to save the file and choose Excel 3, Excel 4, Excel 5-7, or Excel 97-2003 in the Save as Type combo box. Give the file a meaningful name, and make sure you check the Save formatted check box if you want to apply the same formatting in the Excel spreadsheet:

Open Microsoft Excel and click File à Open to open the exported spreadsheet:

The Excel file is an exact copy of Datasheet view of the table. Notice too how the table name is the spreadsheet tab at the bottom of the page (Employees).

To directly export the output of an object, click an object in the Database window and select the Analyze it with Microsoft Excel link using the OfficeLinks button () on the toolbar. Excel works with Access to take the piped output from an object and insert it directly into Microsoft Excel, showing data just like the diagram above:

Depending on the data that you have exported, you can use Excel to perform calculations, produce charts and graphs, and much more.