# Solved: Excel 2007 to Outlook 2007



## BettyAtKitchen (Apr 22, 2008)

I have a database of names, addresses, telephones numbers in excel 20007 Would someone please tell me how to export the list to Outlook 2007?

Thanks.


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## slurpee55 (Oct 20, 2004)

Per this page
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HA102194291033.aspx
Outlook 2007 does not recognize the new Excel formats - .xlsx and such. Save the Excel file in a previous format so that it has the extension .xls.


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## BettyAtKitchen (Apr 22, 2008)

i saved the excel in 2003 format. i opened to outlook 2007, import from another file, excel 97-2003, destination folder: contacts, this is the error message:

"an error has occurred in the microsoft excel 97-2003 translator while getting the contents of a file system.
Outlook was unable to retrieve the data from the file "c:\...... .xlx". verify that you have the correct file, that you have permission to open it, and that it is not open in another program."

what should i have done?


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## BettyAtKitchen (Apr 22, 2008)

i saved the file in excel xls format (97-2003). then from outlook 2007, i tried to import the excel file by going to file/import/.... .... destination file - contacts, then got this message:

an error has occurred in the microsoft excel 97-2003 translator while getting the contents of a file system.

the microsoft excel 97-2003 file "c;\.... address book.xls" has no named ranges. use microsoft excel 97-2003 to name the range of data you want to import."

what does this mean? what should i have done?


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## slurpee55 (Oct 20, 2004)

You need to assign named ranges to columns of data, e.g. Name, Phone, whatever.
Here are 3 good pages on named ranges:
http://www.cpearson.com/excel/named.htm
http://www.contextures.com/xlNames01.html
http://www.ozgrid.com/Excel/named-ranges.htm


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## BettyAtKitchen (Apr 22, 2008)

thanks, slurpee. 

what i have done is save the excel 2007 file as comma delimited. then from outlook 2007, the comma delimited file was imported. no problem there. 

here's the catch. when the excel file was save in comma delimited format, some to the data was not saved. specifically, the zipcodes that start with a zero. in excel files (2003 or 2007), when i input zipcodes, i key in an apostrophe (') sign before the zero. when i save and close the file, the zero is still there. 

however, when i enter the data the same way, but save in comma delimited format, the zero is gone. i tried to just type zero without the apostrophe, but that did not work either.

any suggestions?


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## slurpee55 (Oct 20, 2004)

Two things. Actually, if you look at the csv file in Notepad, you will probably see the preceding zeros - Excel just automatically drops them. One way to guarantee that you will keep the zeros is to do the following:
1. Format, Cell all of the column so that it appears in Excel to have the preceding zero (it won't but will look like that) - e.g., format Special, ZIP Code. (Or you could create your own format, e.g. "000" in the custom selection.)
2. Copy the whole column and paste it into Notepad - or copy all of them at once, for Notepad will retain the column spacing. Just do this for the columns you want the zeros in.
3. Go back to Excel and format all the columns you want to have the preceding zeros in as Format, Cell, Text.
4. Copy or cut the data from Notepad (go to Edit, Select All, Copy (or Cut - you choose, it makes no difference). Go back to the Excel column(s) and paste it in.
As text, Excel will retain the preceding zeros. It will complain that Numbers are stored as Text. Ignore that.
Then save your file - the zeros will be there.


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## BettyAtKitchen (Apr 22, 2008)

i followed all that you said. please remember the excel file had to be saved in comma delimited format. when i close then open the file, the zeroes are gone, even after following all the steps mentioned above.


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## slurpee55 (Oct 20, 2004)

But you are opening the file again in Excel, aren't you?
Read the beginning of what I said in post #7:
"Actually, if you look at the csv file in Notepad, you will probably see the preceding zeros - Excel just automatically drops them." - but as long as you don't save it again in Excel, the zeros are going to be there. IF you do save it, after Excel has dumped the zeros, then they will be gone.


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## slurpee55 (Oct 20, 2004)

And you can always just have some faith and not open it again!


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## BettyAtKitchen (Apr 22, 2008)

i believe in you.. but when i follow your instructions..you know.. it just doesnt give me what i want. 

i open the cvs file in excel (because it is the only program i can open it in, right?), then with the correct zip codes (beginning with zero), i copy and paste the zip code column to notepad. 

then i go back to the cvs file, format the zipcode column as text. 
then i copy and past the notepad (with the correct zipcodes showing the zeroes) into the zipcode column in the cvs file. 

then to test if it worked, i save and close the cvs file.

the zeroes are still gone. 

i just wish i had a speck of your excel knowledge.

dont give up on me.


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## BettyAtKitchen (Apr 22, 2008)

i need the excel file to be saved in cvs format so i can import from outlook 2007.


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## BettyAtKitchen (Apr 22, 2008)

would you know any other way to import from outlook 2007 an excel 2007 file?


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## slurpee55 (Oct 20, 2004)

True about needing it in cvs. But no, Excel is the program designated to open it, but it is not the only one that can - in different ways several can, but in particular Notepad and Wordpad are able to open a csv file - just start the program and then go to File, Open. Change the file type to All Files and find your csv file and open it in Notepad.
A csv file is merely a special type of text file, with commas rather than spaces between the data in a row.
I made a file in Excel and saved it as a text file and then as a csv file. Here is what they look like:
- Text -
02258	03001	02415	03941	02132	02549	04550	05275	07130	01319	05870	03680
- CSV - 
02258,03001,02415,03941,02132,02549,04550,05275,07130,01319,05870,03680
But if I open either of these two files in Excel, they look like this:
- the text file -
2258	3001	2415	3941	2132	2549	4550	5275	7130	1319	5870	3680
and - the csv file - 
2258	3001	2415	3941	2132	2549	4550	5275	7130	1319	5870	3680
But when I open them back up in Notepad, they have not changed - all the zeros are still there.


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## slurpee55 (Oct 20, 2004)

It should work - after you have saved it as a csv file, don't worry about how it looks in Excel, just go on with the import.


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## BettyAtKitchen (Apr 22, 2008)

slurpee55. you are correct. i followed EACH step you listed. and it worked. thanks again. i owe you a cookie.


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## slurpee55 (Oct 20, 2004)

You are very welcome my dear. Glad to help -mostly just things I have worked out over the years - why reinvent the wheel?
Please use the button at the top of the page to mark this thread as Solved.


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