Final answer:
To keep a live connection between an Access database and an Excel spreadsheet, use Microsoft Query or Get & Transform in Excel. This allows the Excel file to update with new data when the Access database is modified.
Step-by-step explanation:
To maintain a live connection to the data when importing an Access database into Excel, you can use the Microsoft Query or Get & Transform features (also known as Power Query) in Excel. These tools allow you to connect to an Access database and setup a dynamic link to its data. This means that if the data in the Access database is updated, you can refresh the connection in Excel to see the latest data without having to import it again.
Here's a general overview of the steps involved:
- Open Excel and go to the Data tab.
- Click 'Get Data' and select 'From Database' followed by 'From Microsoft Access Database'.
- Browse to and select the Access file.
- Choose the table you want to connect to.
- After the connection is established, your Excel spreadsheet will maintain a live link to the Access database.
- To refresh the data in Excel to reflect any changes in Access, use the Refresh command in the Data tab.
This is especially useful for ensuring that reports or analyses performed in Excel are always up-to-date with the most current data from an Access database.