Use Access Database to auto create Excel template

[MARK1111]

Hi All,

I've come up against an issue. I'm sure it possible, only I don't have the knowledge.
I currently use Excel to keep track of what customers owe and when they pay. In it's basic form, it consists of two boxes for every day of the year. One records what they owe for any particular day and the other box is used to record when they pay a sum of money. There is a bit more to it but that summarises what it is used for. At the minute, I have a blank template and each time we get a new customer, I have to populate the customers name and then create a link to that particular sheet and paste it in to a summary sheet. As has happened these last few weeks, I've re-designed it because it is running slowly. I had some macro buttons that replicated themselves over and over, meaning there were hundreds pasted on top of each other on each page. I assume that this was the cause of the slow down.
The issue is, each time I tweak it, I have to enter 150+ customers names and the duplicating, pasting etc becomes repetitive and gives the opportunity for mistakes to be made.
What I am looking for is a way of creating a database of customers (it only needs to consist of the customers name) and a way of having it automatically duplicate the template spreadsheet and naming it as per the name on the customer database. Then, being able to access / search it either from within Access or Excel.
Does this sound possible and is there a reasonably simple way of doing it?
I'd appreciate your feedback.
Thanks,

Mark

 

[Micron]

You want a database to copy a workbook template as a new workbook or new sheet in an existing workbook, based on a table of names? Then you are going to continue using all these sheets/books to manage the payments? Not sure, but it's likely the repetition of data and all the associated formulae and lookups that you must have that's slowing down Excel.

Why not just move the whole process into Access? What you seem to have is a process that fits a db that you're trying to make work in a spreadsheet.

 

[xenou]

Not sure what exactly could be said but if you did put it in Access, such as suggested by Micron, then it would be possible to output excel sheets as needed to satisfy clients or other users. Even a re-designed excel model could also create its own excel output as well. Whatever, this current setup does sound like it's in need of repair.