Free online SXC to MDB converter

What the SXC format is

SXC is the XML-based spreadsheet format used by StarOffice and early OpenOffice.org Calc versions. It can contain worksheets, formulas, formatting, charts, and multiple sheets, and is commonly encountered in legacy office archives or files created before OpenDocument Spreadsheet (.ods) became standard.

What the MDB format is

MDB is the Microsoft Access database format used by Access versions through Access 2003. It stores tables, queries, forms, reports, indexes, and relationships in one database file, making it suitable for structured records and repeated queries rather than spreadsheet presentation.

MDB is useful when the destination system specifically requires an Access database, supports Access SQL, or needs imported data connected to forms and reports. It has compatibility limits compared with newer Access Database (.accdb) files, including older field types and a typical 2 GB maximum database size.

How to actually convert SXC to MDB

1. Open the SXC file in LibreOffice Calc. If the file does not open directly, use File → Open and select the SXC file.
2. Check each worksheet separately. Remove title rows, merged cells, subtotals, blank columns, and formulas that should become fixed values. Ensure every column has one clear heading and each record occupies one row.
3. Export the required sheet through File → Save As, choose Text CSV (.csv), enable Edit filter settings, and select UTF-8 encoding. Use a delimiter that does not occur in the data, usually a comma or semicolon, and enable quoted fields when available.
4. In Microsoft Access, create a blank database with File → New → Blank database. To produce the older format, use File → Save As → Access 2002–2003 Database (*.mdb) where supported.
5. Import the CSV through External Data → New Data Source → From File → Text File. Select Import the source data into a new table, choose the delimiter and text encoding, confirm the first-row field names, and assign suitable data types.
6. Choose a primary key during the import, or create one afterward in table Design view. Set date, numeric, currency, and text fields explicitly rather than accepting incorrect automatic type detection.
7. Repeat the export and import for every SXC worksheet that should become a separate MDB table. Create relationships manually in Database Tools → Relationships.
8. Save and test the resulting .mdb file with the Access version used by the target system.

For a quick file conversion without installing software, you can use the free converter on 101convert.com. A desktop workflow with LibreOffice and Microsoft Access gives better control over field types, sheet selection, keys, and relationships.

Quality and compatibility limitations

There is no one-to-one preservation of an SXC workbook in MDB: cell formatting, charts, print settings, formulas, and worksheet layout do not become database objects. Formula cells are normally imported as their displayed results unless the formulas are recalculated or rewritten as Access queries.

CSV is a data-transfer intermediate format, so inspect delimiters, quoted commas, line breaks, leading zeros, Unicode characters, and dates after import. Access may interpret values such as product codes with leading zeros as numbers; import those columns as short or long text. Large or multi-sheet workbooks may require separate CSV files and manual table design.