Importing with "do not import duplicate items" based on 1 criterio

[James]

Hi

I need to import a long list of fax numbers in an Access file to Outlook in
order to simplify sending faxes to my many, many contacts (this way I can
select the whole Outlook contacts in the fax wizard instead of entering
numbers one after the other). Outlook Contacts already contains fax numbers.
Unfortunately, the Access file contains some of the same fax numbers but
under different names. Is there a way to import the fax numbers from Access
while opting for not importing duplicates of "Business Fax" only?

Thanks

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

I cannot help you with the fine details of conditional importing. Outlook's
native import Wizard has no such ability, but Karl can tell you whether
third party importers might.
I must wonder why you would even attempt such a task since Outlook does not
integrate with any fax software that supports "sending faxes to many, many
contacts." Have you looked into the realities of what you are trying to
achieve before you waste more time?

 

[Karl Timmermans]

Something about this question doesn't compute. If you have more than one
contact with the same business fax number (one or more in the Outlook
contact folder along with one or more in the Access file - how is the
"primary" contact determined in terms of information for the purposes of
sending a fax (or is this intended to simply be a receipent agnostic general
fax broadcast? That aside.....

For the purpose of this response - will assume that what you want at the end
of the exercise is a contact folder of unique business fax numbers where no
other info is really important or relevant. ContactGenie DataPorter does
have an option that would deal with this but really depends on what the
answers were to the original questions above so not going to suggest it as a
viable option/solution at this point (and don't know of anything else that
would do what you want).

Instead, you may want to consider this (there are different ways to do the
same thing - this is just one quick and dirty approach):

#1 - Export the contact folder with minimal info (Bus Fax# field is all you
need) (pick whatever output file format - csv/xls/mdb)
#2 - In your Access database - create a new table via a customized "Make
Table" query extracting only unique BFax #s - (SELECT UNIQUE BFax# INTO
<NewTableName> FROM <SourceTable>)
#3 - In this same database - import the file created in Step #1
#4 - Combine tables from step #2 (NewTable) & 3 (via a simple Access Append
query)
#5 - Repeat Step #2 changing Table names in a new <Make Table> query
(if you want more info beyond BFax# - can be easily generated with a couple
of additional Access steps or alternatively you can create a new table of
records with BFax'#s not in the Outlook contact folder with a little Access
query creativity once you have the file from step #1)

At the end of #5 - you will have a table of totally unique BFax#'s which you
can than import into a new Outlook contact folder consisting of contact
items with unique Bus Fax #s

Karl

___________________________________________________
Karl Timmermans - The Claxton Group
ContactGenie - Importer 1.3 / DataPorter 2.0 / Exporter
"Power contact importers/exporters for MS Outlook '2000/2007"
http://www.contactgenie.com

 

[James]

Thank you guys.

Seems I need to clarify few things. First, it's a problem facing a friend of
mine, not me. He emailed me asking for a solution, and he doesn't speak
English. Second, my friend receives every other day a list of fax numbers in
an Access file. The sender sets the fax numbers column as "primary key" with
"no duplicates" so that he won't have duplicates, but he sends sometimes fax
numbers already sent few days ago under a different name.

Dear Russ, I'm not sure what you meant when you said, "Outlook does not
integrate with any fax software that supports 'sending faxes to many, many
contacts'". The Fax feature in Win XP (at least) does it.

Dear Karl, thanks for your suggestion. I translated it to my friend and sent
it to him. Waiting foe his updates.

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

The vast majority of end users have found that Windows XP Fax does not
support sending to more than just 2 or 3 recipients at a time, if that. It's
not solely a software limitation but is also related to the fact that most
end users have cheap fax modems with only one analog line--not a scenario
that permits sending to "many, many recipients." Microsoft's Server Fax and
higher end fax cards with multiple lines can handle this--but not end user
implementations of XP Fax.