Here's the situation:
  • company #1 has a web site with a form on it
  • it gives all the data collected from the form to company #2 in the form of the occasional Excel spreadsheet
  • the data includes the usual info like name, address, email, etc, and an opt in or out field
  • company #2 is looking for a way to more or less automate the handling of these spreadsheets they receive
  • if an entry on the form has both an email address and an "IN" in the "Opt" field, they want to send that person and email
  • the email will contain standard text (no need to fill in from other fields in the spreadsheet) and a few PDF attachments
Initially I was told that company #2 was requesting a database of some sort to keep track of all this information, and wanted to be able to send these emails out via the database. I have some reservations about this method:
  • the spreadsheets are always arriving, so there would need to be a way to tell if an entry had been sent an email already - this might be difficult in an automated system
  • I am very inexperienced with Access
  • it might be easier in the long run to simply order each spreadsheet as you receive it so that you only saw emails and opt ins, then just copy and paste all the email addresses into an email and send it
Seems to me that last method would be much simpler, but I don't think it's as automated as they'd like. It seems to me that company #2 wants to have the following system:
  • plug in the new spreadsheet
  • click a button to send the email to everyone who hasn't gotten it yet
Is that even possible with Access? I think that's their preferred application since they all probably have it.

I'd really appreciate any help with this. I'm not even sure where to get started...

ps-I've attached a sample of the kind of spreadsheet Company #2 receives


Attachments
AXEnrollment.xls (113 downloads)

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Matt