excel import/ Filemaker data/ and Mac OS9

[hafnerd]

i posted this on friday at an excel user forum, but no takers. hope some use excel here.

using office 2000 w/ excel.

mac OS9 and filemaker 4.0

i'm a newbie. i have been trying to import from excel. my database is filemaker 4.

i have 3000+ records. i only need to import a select set into excel. a couple of times i isolated in filemaker, say, 400 records. (one time 19 records). when i go to "import from filemaker database" excel defaults to import all 3000+ records. is there a way to import just the selected set from filemaker? (example being the 19 records in this case.)

Please help. my head hurts from banging my head against the desk

[Lee Smith]

Exchanging data between FileMaker and Excel is a pretty basic thing, and I'm surprised that no one on the Excel list answered your question.

I am having trouble understanding which way you want to move the data, as your question is a little fuzzy. In other words, do you want to Export out of FileMaker, or Import into FileMaker. But I will assume that it is an Export. If the file is in Excel and you are wanting to Import it, let me know.

There are a couple of data formats that Excel and FileMaker can both read. I'm assuming that mean FileMaker [color:"red"]Pro 4, and not FileMaker 4, there is a difference.

I prefer the Tab Delimited Text format when moving data between Excel and FileMaker. You can read about the different formats that FileMaker can import and export in your FileMaker Manual, or by typing "File Formats" in the Index box of the built in Online Help in FileMaker Pro 4.

To Export your Records, first you need to isolate those records that meet the criteria for your export. You do this by doing a find. Next, choose Export from the Menu (by going to the Menu > File > Importing/Exporting > Export Records). Type in a name (I also use and extension of .txt), choose where you want to save the file, choose "Tab Separated Text", or whichever one of the other formats suit your needs best. Be sure and read about them, as some like "Merge" includes Field Names. Next, just hit the Save button. Your file can then be Opened in Excel. All you need to do in Excel is to step through the delimited steps.

HTH

Lee

[hafnerd]

i was given a template made in excel. using FMKR PRO 4.

i opened the template in excel 2000. there is an import command in the excel menu called "data". i scrolled down to "import from Filemaker pro". it then asks me to select the database, which i did. i had selected, say, 21 out of the 31113 records. excel started to import ALL 31113 records. i found this odd.

i guess i could go the other way, export from filemaker pro db in question. again, i just thought it was odd that excel seems limited in importing ability to only entire lump of records (31113) and not a selected set (21 or so) from filemaker.

[Lee Smith]

Hi marty,

You are probably going to have to isolate the 21 records in FileMaker first, by making them a "Found Set". You do this by performing a find on some criteria that gives you the results of your 21 records.

Lee