linking excel spreadsheet and formulas STILL NEED HELP!

[killerleaf]

Help! I am very new to Access(have attended a couple of classes). I have setup a couple of nice databases, and have linked a spreadsheet before.

the problem I have is that there are some interesting, (at least to me) formulas associated with the spreadsheet that I wish to link. (I have to link, as the data is updated every day). However, when I link this, the data that is affected by the formulas is all messed up. It does not come over clear.

so.....how do you link a spreadsheet that has several formulas in it to an access table?

do I have to setup my table with formulas already in it? or what?

HELP HELP!!

 

[Dugantrain]

The problem here is that you're thinking of tables in terms of Spreadsheet functionality. See, the difference is that tables in Access (or any db) is simply where the raw data "lives". You really don't perform calculations in tables. This is where Select Queries come in. Start focusing more on performing your aggregates within queries rather than in the tables. Also, it is good practice to avoid storing Calculated values; there is never an advantage to storing calculated values and eventually doing so will hurt you (when I first got started, I ignored all warnings from experienced db guys and stored calculated values; it ended up hurting pretty bad, I guess you have to do it the wrong way at least once before you truly learn). So:

-import only the non-calculated columns that you need
-redo your formulas in Select Queries

 

[killerleaf]

ok, I guess I am stupid, because I am not sure I really understand.

Let me explain....this is a timestudy. it's whole purpose in life is to show how much time a doctor spent on a patient. hence, the calculations.....

so....let me see if am following. what I need to do is import just the columns with the date, the doc, and the times. (would I have to setup a new spreadsheet just for this info? or will it just import the columns I need?) (told you I was new!)

then, I would setup the query to run the formulas to get the actual times that I need. and then queries off of that to get the averages I need.

can you setup formulas in access just like formulas in excel? the one for this calculation is kinda a doozy, as the times are entered as straight military times, and it has to be converted into real time....it works great in excel--but when I setup the query, will it do the same?