Email to update excel?

I'm looking to automate the process of a new web order being added to our excel database (and then start processing the order). I have found a piece of software email2db that parses emails and does what I want but it is expensive. Can I use VBA to automate emails from a web form and update my database? Or is there a better way of processing the web form output that doesn't use email?

Please your help as ever is appreciated.

Jamie

Hello Jamie,

ALl the features in Excel2DB can be accomplished using VBA. You don't say what type of database you are currently using, but VBA supports ADO (ActiveX Data Objects), and SQL. So that really shouldn't be an issue. You can program Outlook from Excel using VBA to create contacts, auto-send response, etc. There are also PDF report generators you can purchase, if you need that capability. You should hire someone, if you can, to work side by side with you to develop this since this mission critical software. This is not a job for a beginner.

Sincerely,
Leith Ross

Thanks for your reply.

Sorry I was misleading though. When I said database it was in the loosest of terms! To do most of what I want to do I only need a small part of email2db functionality. I just want to parse the information out of a formatted email and add it to an excel file. I can do the rest with my current skills I think. I've thought of a few ways but I think they might be a bit clunky. Is there a somewhat elegant way to parse the email and get the data into excel in the right cells?

Thanks in advance.

Sure. Customer uses a web form on our website to place an order (example of email below) and I'd like to get that data into the excel order database. Most will just be written into a cell but it would be useful to merge some data like parts on the address with a comma between the pieces of data. All the cells are on the same sheet in the same file.

Then a person will check the integrity of the data and run a macro to start processing the order. I was also intending to get the server to open the file on a schedule and have "on open" macros to check the order status and email reminders if required.

I think I have the skills to complete the rest of the project but I can't believe how hard it appears to be to get data into an excel file from a web site! I really was expecting to find lots of guidance from a google search.

Jamie

The [% INFO %] variables will be replaced by the user entered data. I have created a data section at the bottom to make the parsing easier but I can change the format of this email as required.

Customer Contact:  [% contactname %]
Customer Contact Position:  [% position %]
E-mail  [% email %]
Phone:  [% telcode %] [% telnumber %] 

Company:  [% company %]
Address:
	[% coaddress1 %]
	[% coaddress2 %]
	[% cocity %]
	[% copostcode %]

Ordered product:
20 Day:  [% service20day %]
Purchase order number:  [% ponumber %]
Customer reference number:  [% customerref %]

Highway Authority:  [% highways %]

Start Location Address
	[% Firstlocaddress1 %]
	[% Firstlocaddress2 %]
	[% Firstloccity %]
	[% Firstlocpostcode %]

Start Location OS Reference:  [% Firstosref %]

End Location Address
	[% Secondlocaddress1 %]
	[% Secondlocaddress2 %]
	[% Secondloccity %]
	[% Secondlocpostcode %]

End Location OS Reference:  [% Secondosref %]

Additional Info:
[% info %]





------BEGIN DATA------
&contactname = [% contactname %]
&position = [% position %]
&company = [% company %]
&email = [% email %]
&telcode = [% telcode %]
&telnumber = [% telnumber %]
&coaddress1 = [% coaddress1 %]
&coaddress2 = [% coaddress2 %]
&cocity = [% cocity %]
&copostcode = [% copostcode %]
&ponumber = [% ponumber %]
&customerref = [% customerref %]
&service20day = [% service20day %]
&highways = [% highways %]
&Firstlocaddress1 = [% Firstlocaddress1 %]
&Firstlocaddress2 = [% Firstlocaddress2 %]
&Firstloccity = [% Firstloccity %]
&Firstlocpostcode = [% Firstlocpostcode %]
&Firstosref = [% Firstosref %]
&Secondlocaddress1 = [% Secondlocaddress1 %]
&Secondlocaddress2 = [% Secondlocaddress2 %]
&Secondloccity = [% Secondloccity %]
&Secondlocpostcode = [% Secondlocpostcode %]
&Secondosref = [% Secondosref %]

*INFO*
&info = [% info %]

I am open to other ways of acheiving this. I have quite a basic requirement and I'm open to solutions.

Here's what's required:

Order form completed on web site (one form for external orders, one for internal)
Person checks all the information is correct and we can fulfil the order
Person chooses which "suppliers" need to be contacted
Person acknowledges the order, email is sent to customer and email is sent to chosen "suppliers" requesting the required map
Person goes onto web site to get map if suppliers have that facility
Once all required maps have been received they are printed and saved to a folder
Word template is updated with the information and printed into a "pack"
CD is burnt with the maps and word document
Pack is posted