Merging MS Excel Tables and Charts into ArcView - Principles and General Procedures

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The following general procedure should be followed when establishing a database on a spreadsheet programme. The procedure has been simplified for illustration purposes.

  • Define the attributes to be stored in a table.
  • Define one field name as the identity attribute (e.g. ID).
  • The first row of the table must contain the unique names of the table. e.g. DISTRICT_NAME, POP_HH_1988, AVG_NET_INCOME, etc.). The names must not contain any spaces or special characters.
  • Define different columns for use with various languages (e.g.
  • E_DISTRICTNAME for an English name of a district; A_DISTRICTNAME for local language district names).
  • Enter the identity data (ID) in the same way as it is being used for the map features in GIS. The ID should be defined in a GIS table for the respective map feature.
  • Save the file both in DBF format and MS Excel format in order to prepare additional charts.
  • Import or embed the DBF file into the GIS software.
  • Import or embed charts into the GIS software (if possible), or merge maps and charts in Word, Pagemaker or any other DTP software.