Simple Procedures for Bringing Data Sources Into Spreadsheets

' "-->

Simple Procedures for Bringing Data Sources Into Spreadsheets

Don't let the title put you offmaking a data source, as well as getting the data into your spreadsheets, is really easy.

A data source is any kind of stored dataa spreadsheet listing your favorite CDs and their serial numbers , a dBase database with your customer list, or a plain text file containing all the people who get your holiday newsletter. See Chapter 35, Creating and Modifying Data Sources , on page 871, if you haven't set up any data sources yet.

Note

For information on mail merges, putting data source data into letters or envelopes and printing a copy for each record in your data source, see Chapter 10, Mail Merges, Business Cards, and More , on page 357.

This section covers easy procedures for taking data from one of your data sources and putting it in a spreadsheet.

• Using the Data Pilot to Make a Spreadsheet With Automatic Totals describes the AutoPilot, which walks you through the process and lets you create new fields that automatically total data in the data source

• Dragging Data From a Data Source Into a Spreadsheet is a simpler method that just lets you pick the data you want and put it in a spreadsheet

Using the Data Pilot to Make a Spreadsheet With Automatic Totals

This procedure lets you bring in any thing you've set up as a data source into a spreadsheet. The data source can be another spreadsheet, a database, or a text file. To define data sources, see Creating Data Sources on page 881.

1. Start a new Calc spreadsheet.

2. Choose Data > Data Pilot as shown in Figure 18-24.

   Figure 18-24. Setting options for exporting to a text file

   

3. In the Select Source window in Figure 18-19, select Data Source Registered in OpenOffice.org. Click OK.

   Figure 18-19. Selecting type of data source

   

4. Make the appropriate selections in the Select Data Source window in Figure 18-20.

   Figure 18-20. Selecting the data source and table

   

5. Make selections in the Select Data Source window in Figure 18-21, then click OK

   Figure 18-21. Select how to import the data

   

6. The data from the data source appears in the spreadsheet, as shown in Figure 18-22.

   Figure 18-22. The data from the data source appears in the spreadsheet

   

To refresh or delete the data in the spreadsheet, choose Data > Data Pilot and select Refresh or Delete.

Dragging Data From a Data Source Into a Spreadsheet

Note

You can paste a table into a presentation, but you're better off putting it in a spreadsheet or text document, then inserting that document. It's not very manageable and difficult to format.

These procedures tell you how to bring in anything you've set up as a data source into a spreadsheet. To define data sources, see Creating Data Sources on page 881.

1. Choose View > Data Sources.

2. In the data source viewing area that appears, select a data source from the area at the left, then select a table from that data source.

3. Select the upper left corner of the corresponding data area on the right side of the window, and drag it into the spreadsheet. This is illustrated in Figure 18-23.

   Figure 18-23. Dragging data from a data source into a spreadsheet