Trying to automatically import specific data from Excel into Word:

[roethlisberger]

Thanks in advance for anyone who can help me with this:

I'll start by explaining the spreadsheet I created in Excel (an inventory /
information worksheet):
It is pretty simple; approximately 12 columns. The key column is the item
number / UPC / bar code number, then after that there are various information
columns including item name, description, condition, picture links, etc.

Secondly, I created a template Microsoft Word document that is relatively
long, but will have a few lines (give or take...about 7) customized for each
item on the inventory.

What I am trying to do is this:
In the Word document, if I either type in or scan in the item number, I
would like the Word document to import the specific information for that item
number from the spreadsheet.
For example, upon entering item number '123456789012', I would like Word to
transfer in the 'item name' from Excel into the space I have designated for
it to go. The same thing would go for condition, description, etc.

I have a fair amount of experience with Microsoft Excel, and could easily do
this within an Excel spreadsheet to cross-reference information, but when it
comes to Word and Excel integration, I am new to this experience and am not
sure where to get started........and for that matter I do not know if what I
am trying to do is even possible. From reading various help documents and tip
websites, I do believe it is, but the few topics I have found online related
to this issue have not been written well and left me asking more questions
that I had in the first place.

Anyway, for anyone who can help me with this or get me pointed in the right
direction it will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks again for the time in reading this...and sorry for the 'off topic'
thread.

 

[macropod]

Hi roethlisberger,

Word doesn't provide any native support for linking in the manner you're describing. However, if you setup your document as a:
.. form using formfields, you could have an 'on exit' macro (vba code) attached to a formfield to retrieve the desired data from your
Excel workbook and populate bookmarks in the Word document with the corresponding data from Excel. For this to work, all or part of
the document must be protected for forms, which imposes some editing restrictions; or
.. mailmerge main document, you could use mailmerge filtering to select the record(s) to merge, based on whatever field you want to
use as the key. Unlike the form approach, no vba is required and you have complete freedom to edit either the mailmerge main
document or the merged output document that the mailmerge process creates.