MS Access Template
A sample DB to help gather ONE catalog information

This page describes a tool we developed to help campuses gather data for submission into the ONE Course Catalog. We've built a simple, bare-bones Microsoft Access database that users can download and use to enter data, then export data out into the fixed-length records we require for our data feed. The database was created with MS Access 97 but should be usable with MS Access 2000 as well; we're not sure what other versions may or may not work. Differences in the instructions for MS Access 2000 are noted below.

How to use this tool:

1. Download MS Access database. (96K). We suggest you save it as "ONE.mdb".
2. Open the database in MS Access 97 or double click on ONE.mdb in Explorer
   Access 2000: When you open the database, Access 2000 will tell you that the DB was created using an older version and ask you to convert it. You can safely do so.
3. Once in Access with ONE.mdb loaded, open or double click on the "ONE" table under the "Tables" tab.
4. Make your data changes and additions. We've included a sample record that you'll want to change or get rid of. Refer to the catalog data elements page for details about each field.
5. Export the data:
   1. Click on "File" in the "Menu"
   2. Choose "Save As/Export"
      Access 2000: Choose "Export"
   3. Click "OK" to the selection "To an external file or database"
      Access 2000: This step does not apply.
   4. Under the "Save as Type" pull down box, scroll all the way down until either "Text Files" or "Text Files (*.txt, *.csv, *.tab, *.asc)" - choose this selection
   5. Under the "File Name" box, enter the your file name. You should use either "courselist" (use this if your dropdown box, above, said just "Text Files") or "courselist.txt" if you want. NOTE: Be sure to notice which directory the file will be saved in. To do this, look at the "Saved in" scroll down box.
   6. Access 2000: Make sure the "Save formatted" checkbox is NOT checked.
   7. Once you are certain you know where the file will be saved, click on the "Export" button
      Access 2000: click on the "Save All" button instead of "Export"
   8. The "Export Text Wizard" window will pop up. Click on the "Advanced" button at the bottom left.
   9. To the right of the "ONE Export Specification" window, choose the "specs" button.
   10. Ensure that "ONE Table Export Specification" is highlighted by clicking on it if it is not. Then click the "Open" button.
   11. Click "OK"
   12. Click "Finish"
   13. Using Windows Explorer, rename the exported file to "courselist.dat" which is the name that our server expects to find once the file has been sent to us. Explorer will complain with an error message "If you change a filename extension, the file may become unusable"; Click "Yes".
   14. Now you're ready to FTP the file to our server. Contact ONE Technical support for your FTP username and password if you don't already have them. For more information refer to the Catalog Feed instructions.