OL97: Importing from Microsoft Excel Requires Named Range

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Outlook 97

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Outlook 97, when you try to import Calendar, Contact, or Task information from Microsoft Excel, you may receive one of the following messages:

   An error has occurred in the Microsoft Excel translator while getting
   the contents of a file system.

   The Microsoft Excel file '<Drive\Directory\Filename>' has no named
   ranges. Use Microsoft Excel to name the range of data you want to
   import.

   An ODBC error has occurred in Microsoft Excel translator while opening a
   file to build a field map. Microsoft ODBC Excel driver: too many fields
   defined.

CAUSE

The information you are trying to import is not contained within a Named Range in the Microsoft Excel file. Or the range name used is the same as one of the column header names in the range.

RESOLUTION

To successfully import information using a Microsoft Excel file, define a Named Range in your Microsoft Excel worksheet. The name assigned to the range should not be the same as one of the column header names. To define a Named Range in Microsoft Excel, follow these steps:

1. In your Microsoft Excel worksheet, select the rows and columns that contain the information that you want to import.

2. On the Insert menu, point to Name, and then click Define.

3. In the Names In Workbook box, type a name (the name may not contain spaces nor should it be the same as one of the column header names) for the range that you just specified, and then click Add.

4. Click OK, and on the File menu, click Save.

5. Save and quit the Workbook.

MORE INFORMATION

Outlook uses the Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) method when importing information. When you import a file from Microsoft Excel, ODBC requires that the information be contained within a Named Range in the Microsoft Excel file. Using the range naming procedure above, the range name may default to a field name in the selected range. This name should be changed to a non-column header name.