How can I modify a saved Microsoft Access 2007 or 2010 Import Specification?

calendar_today Asked Sep 27, 2008
thumb_up 31 upvotes
history Updated April 14, 2026

Direct Answer

I am able to use this feature on my machine using MS Access 2007. On the Ribbon, select External Data Select the "Text File" option This displays the Get External Data Wizard…. This is a prose walkthrough, ranked #1st of 67 by community upvote score, from 2008.


The Problem (Q-score 27, ranked #1st of 67 in the Access VBA archive)

The scenario as originally posted in 2008

Does anyone know how to modify an existing import specification in Microsoft Access 2007 or 2010? In older versions there used to be an Advanced button presented during the import wizard that allowed you to select and edit an existing specification. I no longer see this feature but hope that it still exists and has just been moved somewhere else.

Why community consensus is tight on this one

Across 67 Access VBA entries in the archive, the accepted answer here holds elite answer (top 10 %%) status — meaning voters are unusually aligned on the right fix.


The Verified Solution — elite answer (top 10 %%) (+31)

Verbal answer — walkthrough without a code block

Note: the verified answer is a prose walkthrough. If you need a runnable sample, check Access VBA entries ranked in the top 10 of the same archive.

I am able to use this feature on my machine using MS Access 2007.

  • On the Ribbon, select External Data
  • Select the “Text File” option
  • This displays the Get External Data Wizard
  • Specify the location of the file you wish to import
  • Click OK. This displays the “Import Text Wizard”
  • On the bottom of this dialog screen is the Advanced button you referenced
  • Clicking on this button should display the Import Specification screen and allow you to select and modify an existing import spec.

For what its worth, I’m using Access 2007 SP1


When to Use It — vintage (14+ years old, pre-2013)

This is the top-ranked pattern in Access VBA

Among 67 archived Access VBA entries, nothing currently outranks this one. If your stack includes Access VBA, this is the first pattern to try.

What changed between 2008 and 2026

The answer is 18 years old. The Access VBA object model has been stable across Office 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 365, and 2024/2026 LTSC, so the pattern still compiles. Changes that might affect you: 64-bit API declarations (use PtrSafe), blocked macros in downloaded files (Mark-of-the-Web), and the shift toward Office Scripts for web-first workflows.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is this answer the top decile of Access VBA Q&A?
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Answer score +31 vs the Access VBA archive median ~10; this entry is elite. The score plus 27 supporting upvotes on the question itself (+27) means the asker and 30 subsequent voters all validated the approach.

The answer has no code block — how do I turn it into a snippet?
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Use the walkthrough above as a checklist, then open a top-10 Access VBA archive entry for a concrete starting template you can adapt.

This answer is 18 years old. Is it still relevant in 2026?
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Published 2008, which is 18 year(s) before today’s Office 2026 build. The Access VBA object model has had no breaking changes in that window. Three things to re-test: (1) blocked macros on downloaded files (Mark-of-the-Web), (2) 64-bit API declarations (PtrSafe, LongPtr), (3) any shift toward Office Scripts for web scenarios.

This is the #1 Access VBA pattern in the archive — what’s next on my reading list?
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After this top entry, browse the ranks 2–10 for the same category — the Access VBA archive orders by combined Q+A score. The second-ranked pattern typically solves a different subset of the same problem space.

Data source: Community-verified Q&A snapshot. Q-score 27, Answer-score 31, original post 2008, ranked #1st of 67 in the Access VBA archive. Last regenerated April 14, 2026.

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