NHQ to discontinue Access version of CAPWatch

[SarDragon]

I would download it, not for SIMs, but for the reporting functions: address labels, S-3, PD Report, etc.

While not the greatest, it provided information we don't get anymore at the local level...

If they can replace that in some web based app, that'd be great.  Otherwise we all end up having to take a course on converting .csv into a database and creating our own custom reports, etc.

As for working with .CSV files for Jimmy's purposes, pull the file into Excel, instead of Access, and do the same mail merge magic. Excel automatically recognizes .CSV files, and processes them very easily.

[Eclipse]

You can do all manner of things with .CSV's.

I just want to dump them quickly into SIMs, not reinvent the wheel.

[Eclipse]

BTW, the developer of SIMS has been aware of this since January and has already stated that he "can definitiely update SIMS to import flat text files."

http://squadroncommand.com/forum/viewtopic.php?forum=2&showtopic=1533&mode=&onlytopic=&show=10&page=2

A tool to convert the files is posted here:
http://cid-68346388060ddd7d.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/CAP|_SIMS/CAPWATCH

I haven't tested it yet, but others have and say it works fine.  Hopefully by the end of the year it will be somewhat more automated.

[twe]

I'm looking for a tool to change all the text files back into CAPWATCH.mdb.
What would be perfect is a program to look in the directory with the downloaded and unzipped  .txt files and convert all of them, one at a time, so that the result would be CAPWATCH.mdb that I could then import into Access and use all the SQL queries I've written over the last 5 years or so. I'll write one myself if I have to, but why re-invent the wheel.

[RiverAux]

I've just imported the tables one by one into an Access database.  I usually only use a couple of them, so its not that much trouble. 

[NC Hokie]

I'm looking for a tool to change all the text files back into CAPWATCH.mdb.
What would be perfect is a program to look in the directory with the downloaded and unzipped  .txt files and convert all of them, one at a time, so that the result would be CAPWATCH.mdb that I could then import into Access and use all the SQL queries I've written over the last 5 years or so. I'll write one myself if I have to, but why re-invent the wheel.

There's a link for two CAPWATCH conversion tools (Access 2003 or Access 2000) in the last post on this page:
http://squadroncommand.com/forum/viewtopic.php?forum=2&showtopic=1712&mode=&onlytopic=&show=10&page=2

You might need to tweak the table names a bit as I believe NHQ made some changes since this was posted in December.  BTW, if you're NOT using SIMS to work with CAPWATCH you might want to give it a try.

[twe]

-- I'll try the suggested link.
-- I'm using lots of the tables to do some wing-level tracking, and I'm checking for updates a couple of times per week, so importing the .txt files by hand is not a realistic option.
-- The newly released SIMS is working fine for my squadron.

[Nick]

I'm looking for a tool to change all the text files back into CAPWATCH.mdb.
What would be perfect is a program to look in the directory with the downloaded and unzipped  .txt files and convert all of them, one at a time, so that the result would be CAPWATCH.mdb that I could then import into Access and use all the SQL queries I've written over the last 5 years or so. I'll write one myself if I have to, but why re-invent the wheel.

Assuming you just want a database and aren't integrating with SIMS...

Download the .zip from eServices and extract it to a folder. 
Create yourself an empty Access database (call it CAPWATCH.mdb if you want).
Create linked tables to each text file.
Done.

When you want to update the data, just re-extract the .zip to the folder you originally created.

[twe]

Re: Create linked tables to each text file.
That's exactly the problem: there are a couple of dozen tables, and manually doing something for each one individually is simply not reasonable to do a couple of times/week. Do you know of an automatic way to link to **all** the text files in one fell swoop?

[NC Hokie]

Re: Create linked tables to each text file.
That's exactly the problem: there are a couple of dozen tables, and manually doing something for each one individually is simply not reasonable to do a couple of times/week. Do you know of an automatic way to link to **all** the text files in one fell swoop?

The link I gave you in Reply #25 is the best option available at the moment.

[Phil Hirons, Jr.]

Re: Create linked tables to each text file.
That's exactly the problem: there are a couple of dozen tables, and manually doing something for each one individually is simply not reasonable to do a couple of times/week. Do you know of an automatic way to link to **all** the text files in one fell swoop?

You could write an Access macro or VBA code to do this.

However, Access stores the path to the object of a linked table (text file in this case). If you change the target file the new data is available in Access. I would close the database before updating the CAPWATCH text files

[SarDragon]

You only have to do the table links once. Just make a special directory for the data files, and keep only the current set there. Every time you open the database with the links, it will use whichever files are in that directory. The files in that directory MUST have the file names used when doing the links.

I have a setup like that for another database I use, and once the initial links were established, it was a piece of pie.