Question / problem - pasting mixed data types

[JMusic]

I have run into a problem that I cannot find anything about and I'm hoping that the search terms are just too vague and someone can point me to a useful answer.

I have some data that I want to paste into an Access table. One column has mixed text and numbers (account numbers, some of which start with a letter). That field, as well as most other fields in the table, is set as text format. When I paste into the table, the account numbers that start with a letter are gone. No error, they just don't paste.

I have run into this before and could generally "fix" it by sorting the data with the true text fields at the top of the column. Which is a horrible fix, but at least it works. Well, worked, until today when even that doesn't fix my problem (I think because it is not the first field of data, but rather the third). So now I am looking for a more legitimate fix.

 

[jdraw]

Just a comment. If a "number" is not used in calculations, then define it as string or text.
Telephone Number for example isn't something we would add 7 to or dive by 4....

Have you tried importing the data into a table? You have an option with the import wizard to define the field data types.

 

[JMusic]

I am defining the table field as text, just the text ("A123456") bits won't paste, while the number ("123456") bits will. I have attached a database with a single table, and a sample of the data (cleaned to remove actual customer names and proprietary data) I am trying to paste into it, to make my issue more clear. Try to paste the data into the table and see what happens.

 

[spikepl]

It pastes fine - when the entire Excel-column is formatted as text. Yours isn't.

 

[JMusic]

Sometimes it's the simple things that give me problems.

Thanks much. I can deal with that solution (though "General" format seems like it should work, or if anything make the numbers not paste rather than the text).