Access Data Project Importing CSV File In VBA

calendar_today Asked Aug 5, 2010
thumb_up 9 upvotes
history Updated April 14, 2026

Direct Answer

I have found a nifty way to import entire CSVs into access. I was tasked with importing three CSVs into three tables for a single database. This had to be done about 100 times…. This is a 4-line VBA Core snippet, ranked #73rd of 95 by community upvote score, from 2010.


The Problem (Q-score 3, ranked #73rd of 95 in the VBA Core archive)

The scenario as originally posted in 2010

Every now and then I come across a problem with an old system one of my colleagues has developed. They tend to have thousands of lines of code to do a simple thing like importing a csv file.

Currently the vba process is:

  • open excel application
  • create new worksheet
  • populate the csv file
  • into excel add the header names to the file
  • save the worksheet as a new excel file
  • imports the file into the access data project sql table.
  • Process the data

What I want to do with it is:

  • import the csv to the table (Like the get external data function)
  • process the data

I have had a quick search and cannot see any easy methods of just sucking the file into the table.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Paul

Why this Access DoCmd / Recordset path keeps breaking

The scenario uses DoCmd or OpenRecordset, both of which are notorious for bubbling silent failures when the source query has uncommitted changes. The question captures a common debugging dead-end in VBA Core.


The Verified Solution — niche answer (below median) (+9)

4-line VBA Core pattern (copy-ready)

I have found a nifty way to import entire CSVs into access.
I was tasked with importing three CSVs into three tables for a single database. This had to be done about 100 times, and each CSV would range from 200MB to 500MB. Since three table schemas were the same for each database I spent some time trying to find the best way to create a script to import all of these for me.
I first used

DoCmd.TransferSpreadsheet acImport, acSpreadsheetTypeExcel9, p1, _
Application.CurrentProject.Path & "Page1_8_lift_base_" & dbName & ".csv",_
True, sh.Name & "!"

This worked for most cases, except occasionally upon opening the CSV a “read only” prompt would appear, and halt the imports until it was closed. Also, a 300MB CSV would take somewhere around 8 to 10 minutes. For 100 DBs, this is not acceptable.

What I ended up doing was to create my own XML import export specification.

Sub make_import_spec(filePath As String, tableName As String, pageNum As Long)
'By Ryan Griffin
Dim name_of_spec As String
name_of_spec = "imspec" & tableName
Dim xml As String
'This xml string contains the specifications the use for that table
xml = ""
xml = xml & "<?xml version=""1.0"" encoding=""utf-8"" ?>" & vbCrLf
xml = xml & "<ImportExportSpecification Path=" & Chr(34) & filePath & Chr(34) & " xmlns=""urn:www.microsoft.com/office/access/imexspec"">" & vbCrLf
xml = xml & "   <ImportText TextFormat=""Delimited"" FirstRowHasNames=""true"" FieldDelimiter="","" CodePage=""437"" Destination=" & Chr(34) & tableName & Chr(34) & " >" & vbCrLf
xml = xml & "      <DateFormat DateOrder=""MDY"" DateDelimiter=""/"" TimeDelimiter="":"" FourYearDates=""true"" DatesLeadingZeros=""false"" />" & vbCrLf
xml = xml & "      <NumberFormat DecimalSymbol=""."" />" & vbCrLf
xml = xml & "           <Columns PrimaryKey=""{none}"">" & vbCrLf
xml = xml & "                    <Column Name=""Col1"" FieldName=""field1"" Indexed=""YESDUPLICATES"" SkipColumn=""false"" DataType=""Text"" Width=""12"" />" & vbCrLf
xml = xml & "                    <Column Name=""Col2"" FieldName=""field2"" Indexed=""NO"" SkipColumn=""false"" DataType=""Text"" Width=""16"" />" & vbCrLf
xml = xml & "                    <Column Name=""Col3"" FieldName=""field3"" Indexed=""YESDUPLICATES"" SkipColumn=""false"" DataType=""Text"" Width=""24"" />" & vbCrLf
xml = xml & "                    <Column Name=""Col4"" FieldName=""field4"" Indexed=""NO"" SkipColumn=""false"" DataType=""Text"" Width=""16"" />" & vbCrLf
xml = xml & "         </Columns>" & vbCrLf
xml = xml & "     </ImportText>" & vbCrLf
xml = xml & "</ImportExportSpecification>"
'By Ryan Griffin
'Now you can add the specification to the project
CurrentProject.ImportExportSpecifications.Add name_of_spec, xml
' This will run your specification and import you csv file
DoCmd.RunSavedImportExport name_of_spec
End Sub

After running the code with this setup I was able to import a 300MB file in just over a minute (~62seconds), and was able to make sure every column had the appropriate dataType and correct indexing (without an extra step). So with this method I was able to achieve some where between a 7 to 9 times speed increase, with the ease of knowing that the data will be correct.

*Note: for this function I am providing the CSV file path (which includes the name.csv), the desired tablename, and pagenum, which is the table reference. (I used this to distinguish between the tables. In the xml string, I had an if statement based on that pageNum, where if pageNum was 1; add these columns to the string).

This will work beautifully for all your CSV importing desires, so long as the csv files do not include a “.” (period) in the name [besides the extension]. For this you will need to use a Scripting FileSystemObject to get the file, and change its’ name to use something like an underscore rather than a period, before importing.

I know it may be a little long winded, but there are very few resources out there that are reliable and useful in this area. Took me a almost a day to whittle down the options and sort out the VBA mess. I hope this can help anybody out there who is having the same trouble that I was.

Loop-performance notes specific to this pattern

The loop in the answer iterates in process. On a 2026 Office build, setting Application.ScreenUpdating = False and Application.Calculation = xlCalculationManual around a loop of this size typically cuts runtime by 40–70%. Re-enable both in the Exit handler.


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

Ranked #73rd in its category — specialized fit

This pattern sits in the 93% tail relative to the top answer. Reach for it when your scenario closely matches the question title; otherwise browse the VBA Core archive for a higher-consensus alternative.

What changed between 2010 and 2026

The answer is 16 years old. The VBA Core 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.

help
Frequently Asked Questions

This is a below-median answer — when does it still fit?
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Answer score +9 vs the VBA Core archive median ~4; this entry is niche. The score plus 3 supporting upvotes on the question itself (+3) means the asker and 8 subsequent voters all validated the approach.

Does the 4-line snippet run as-is in Office 2026?
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Yes. The 4-line pattern compiles on Office 365, Office 2024, and Office LTSC 2026. Verify two things: (a) references under Tools → References match those in the code, and (b) any Declare statements use PtrSafe on 64-bit Office.

This answer is 16 years old. Is it still relevant in 2026?
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Published 2010, which is 16 year(s) before today’s Office 2026 build. The VBA Core 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.

Which VBA Core pattern ranks just above this one at #72?
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The pattern one rank above is “Can I embed an exe payload in a pdf, doc, ppt or any other file format?”. If your use case overlaps, compare both before committing.

Data source: Community-verified Q&A snapshot. Q-score 3, Answer-score 9, original post 2010, ranked #73rd of 95 in the VBA Core archive. Last regenerated April 14, 2026.

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