By Edward M: How to receive fax into Microsoft Access database?
I would like to import received faxes into an Access database. How would I do this? I found the Windows XP fax tool, which seems to dump faxes in TIFF format into a folder, but how would I easily load these into a table so they can be viewed and printed along with the record they pertain to?
There will be a lot of faxes. I need to have an image of the faxed quotes stored in the customer record. I figured I would have to have an inbox for the received faxes, which the clerk will select from when accessing the record. I looked at OLE objects, but unless it’s a BMP it doesn’t seem to want to display it on a form.

Featured answer:

Answer by myopic_chaos
Access will allow you to store objects like pictures (and TIFFS) in field in a table. data type: “OLE object” They ARE HUGE… I hope there are not a lot of them. You may want to find another method, like having a feild that is a link to the picure in a drive somewhere.

My only question is how are you going to match up the name of the file to the records in your database? Will you have to open them up and look at them to match them to records in your database?

Will part of your process be to upload the contents of the TIFF folder and then assign them to the records in your database? I am assuming you dont’ know the content of the fax until you look at it.

uploading them is easy enough, you can do somthing in VBA that upload the content of the folder and then sort through them.

here is a trick- use the macro editor in Access, and then convert it to Visual basic and save you a bit of typing and looking up VBA expressions

Next response:
Humm, it would be a pain to convert them to Bitmaps.

I am assuming that you want to be able to read the fax as you have the customer record up?

Does it HAVE to be on the form? What if there was a link on a form (or rather a sub form) that popped up the fax?

I am just thinking off the top of my head-
Perhaps keeping a separate table with hyperlinks (Hyperlink is a Field type) to a drive where the tiffs are kept.
On This table can also keep general information about the fax.
(I don’t know your business, but you may want to categorize the faxes you receive. Also on this table is the index reference of the customer, with general information about the fax
(Like response # or perhaps “Receipt” or “Customer complaint”")

So, the end result would be a form that holds that customer record, and then a sub form on the bottom that shows all the hyperlinks to the faxes stored on a drive, and then next to the hyperlink is the information about the fax. If you want to read the actual fax, click the hyperlink. When you click on the hyperlink, the picture it will come up in internet explorer.
That way you can not just hold faxes- but perhaps link to any other electronic file on your drive concerning that customer? Like saved documents that you sent them? Like maybe the customer’s website- if the computer that holds the database has internet access.

This will keep your database much more manageable if it does not actually hold the fax
All you have to do is come up with a naming system for your files that makes sense
Like
2006_12_06_01_Davis_industries.tif
2006_12_06_02_Davis_industries.tif
2006_12_06_03_Davis_industries.tif
2006_12_06_01_Davis_industries.tif

Your Next thought is – ah geeze, I already have tons of faxes!

That is ok, with a simple dos command, (or with some simple freeware programs out there) you can turn the contents of that directory into a text file and upload the file names into an access table.

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Ok- I looked at your question again. You want a tool to help you sort through the faxes… is that really what you need?

Please leave your answer in the comments! Thanks.