Microsoft KB Archive/209924

= ACC2000: "Could Not Find Object" Error Importing MS Excel File =

Article ID: 209924

Article Last Modified on 12/12/2002

-

APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Access 2000 Standard Edition

-



This article was previously published under Q209924



Novice: Requires knowledge of the user interface on single-user computers.

This article applies to a Microsoft Access database (.mdb) and to a Microsoft Access project (.adp).



SYMPTOMS
When you try to import or link a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, if you click Show Named Ranges in the Import Spreadsheet Wizard or the Link Spreadsheet Wizard, you may receive the following error message:

The Microsoft Jet database engine could not find the object ' '. Make sure the object exists and that you spell its name and the path name correctly.

You may also receive this error if you use a macro or a Visual Basic for Applications procedure to import or link the spreadsheet.

NOTE: This error message may occur if you convert a Microsoft Access 2.0 database to Access 2000, and the database includes a TransferSpreadsheet macro action or Access Basic code with a Range argument that contains the sheet name along with a named range. For example: DoCmd.TransferSpreadsheet acExport, 8, "MyTable", "C:\MyFile.xls", True, "MySheet!MyRange"



CAUSE
The named range you selected in the Import Spreadsheet Wizard or the Link Spreadsheet Wizard is longer than 64 characters. Although Excel allows a name of up to 255 characters, the Microsoft Excel ISAM driver that Access uses to import or link spreadsheets truncates a range name to 64 characters. The import or link fails because Access cannot find the truncated range name in the spreadsheet.

The reason for the 64-character truncation is that Access uses the name of the range as the table name in your database, and table names are limited to 64 characters.



RESOLUTION
There are two ways to work around this behavior.

Method 1
Open the spreadsheet in Excel and define a name for the range that has 64 or fewer characters. You do not have to delete the existing longer name. Then when you import the spreadsheet into Access, select the shorter defined name.

Method 2
Use the TransferSpreadsheet action in a macro or the TransferSpreadsheet method in a Visual Basic for Applications function to import or link a specific range in the spreadsheet. In the Range argument, specify the range by address rather than by name, for example: "A1:E32." The following sample Visual Basic for Applications function demonstrates this method: Function ImpByAddress Docmd.TransferSpreadsheet acImport, acSpreadsheetTypeExcel9, _ "test", "c:\My Documents\Book1.xls",, "A1:E32" End Function



Steps to Reproduce Behavior
 Open a new, blank workbook in Excel. In cell A1 type the word test and in cell B1 type the word Excel . Select cells A1 and B1, and then on the Insert menu, point to Name, and click Define. In the Define Name dialog box, type the following in the Names In Workbook box:

You_can_access_the_Microsoft_Knowledge_Base_from_the_Microsoft_Web_site

Click OK. With cells A1 and B1 still selected, again point to Name on the Insert menu, and then click Define. In the Define Name dialog box, type the following in the Names In Workbook box:

Access_the_Microsoft_Knowledge_Base_from_the_Microsoft_Web_site

Click OK. Save the workbook as C:\Test.xls, and close it.</li> Start Access, and open the sample database Northwind.mdb.</li> On the File menu, point to Get External Data, and then click Import.</li> In the Import dialog box, select Microsoft Excel (*.xls) in the Files of Type box, select C:\Test.xls, and then click Import.</li> In the Import Spreadsheet Wizard, click Show Named Ranges, and then select this range:

You_can_access_the_Microsoft_Knowledge_Base_from_the_Microsoft_Web_site

Note that you receive the error message described in the "Symptoms" section of this article.</li> Select this range:

Access_the_Microsoft_Knowledge_Base_from_the_Microsoft_web_site

Note that the error does not occur because the second selection is a named range that has fewer than 64 characters.</li></ol>

<div class="references_section">