I was sent multiple (5/6) Excel & Word (1/2) docs that are contact info for
past guests to a very big event (these docs are like almost or over 1000).
They will be used to create a list of invitees for this years shin dig.
Well, when they were created the author(s) were either lazy, stoned or both.
The info is there, but not populated properly and it is not
readable/printable/formatted in any type of a consistent or rational way. I
have been tasked with "cleaning it up". Meaning pulling all the info
together, and updating. I would like to do this efficiently and effectively.


I've tried a couple different things formatting wise in excel and looked at
access (which i haven't been able to properly import into) but my real
constraint is not the software or readability - it is time/ease. Any
ideas???? Should I use a merge? Start from scratch? import/export data?
I'd like to use a smart program that will do most of the formatting from the
existing info. Please help - I am on a deadline and dont have the time to
manually enter it again!

I'm sorry, but I have to be a bit brutal here. What you've said is that you
have been handed a 'mell of a hess' and told to straighten it out in short
order, and would like to make your misery our misery?

You've asked for suggestions on how to attack the problem, and yet nothing
you've told us gives us a clue as to what information is available from what
sources and why you've given consideration to format and such that you have?

It also is unclear as to what makes it "not readable/printable/formatted in
an ... consistentent or rational way." Either you can open and view the
Excel and/or Word documents you've been sent or you cannot. If you can do
that, then you have a good portion of the problem solved.

With regards to the Word documents, I might only suggest saving the files as
plain .txt files and then seeing what you can do with regards to importing it
into Excel and manipulating it into the breakouts you need.

Now, for the Excel side - start 'small' and work up. First, consider that
all of the data has been typed in for you - that's presuming that you can
open/view those files. If you can't do that, all bets are off. Start with
one workbook that is pretty much laid out the way you want and work to get it
laid out exactly the way you want. Then grab another workbook and start
moving data from it into the one "master" book. Don't mess with cut'n'paste
if the columns aren't in the same order - set up linked formulas in the
master book to appropriate columns in the 2nd (and 3rd and 4th and 5th and
6th) workbook. That will bring everything into a single book in roughly the
same layout. Use Edit | Copy, Edit | Paste Special with [Value] selected to
convert all of those formulas to actual data that you can freely work with
inside of that one workbook. Go from there.

You can return here to ask for specific help in specific areas during your
project, questions I might envision you asking might be:
"How do I split a name into separate columns"
"How do I convert all UPPERCASE entries into Proper Case Entries"
"How do I identify duplicate entries"
"How do I split Street City, ST zip entries into separate pieces"

Each of those can be handled as separate issues, one at a time and they are
specific questions that people can give specific answers to, more easily if
you provide examples of the data you have to work with so that specific,
working solutions can be provided.

"urBrothaFromAnothaMotha" wrote:

I was sent multiple (5/6) Excel & Word (1/2) docs that are contact info for
past guests to a very big event (these docs are like almost or over 1000).
They will be used to create a list of invitees for this years shin dig.
Well, when they were created the author(s) were either lazy, stoned or both.
The info is there, but not populated properly and it is not
readable/printable/formatted in any type of a consistent or rational way. I
have been tasked with "cleaning it up". Meaning pulling all the info
together, and updating. I would like to do this efficiently and effectively.


I've tried a couple different things formatting wise in excel and looked at
access (which i haven't been able to properly import into) but my real
constraint is not the software or readability - it is time/ease. Any
ideas???? Should I use a merge? Start from scratch? import/export data?
I'd like to use a smart program that will do most of the formatting from the
existing info. Please help - I am on a deadline and dont have the time to
manually enter it again!