One of the steps of the Import Data Wizard in Access allows you to modify the field settings during the import process rather than importing the data and making the changes to the fields later. I usually recommend this approach; however, I recently discovered an instance where skipping this step results in the loss of data!
In this tutorial:
Required knowledge:
1. The problem
If you import the data from the CSV file and then change the Data Type of the Hardcover field to Yes/No in Design View, the data in the Hardcover field will be deleted. It is well worth stepping through the import and recreating this problem.
the CSV file & import it into a new table.
See the post Access’ Import Text file function if you are unsure how to do this.
Open the Datasheet View and confirm that the Hardcover field contains many Y values.
Open the table in Design View and change the Hardcover field Data Type from Short Text (the default) to Yes/No. Switch to Datasheet View and confirm that the data in the Hardcover field has been deleted. There is no undo!
2. The solution
In essence, the solution is to select the Hardcover field during import and change its Data Type to Yes/No.
- Scroll to the right until the Hardcover field is in view
- Select the Hardcover field
- Select Yes/No from the Data Type drop-down in the Field Options
- Click the Next> button