Joining Excel tables to data attribute in ArcMap?

Question

I am trying to join an Excel table to my parcel attribute table in ArcMap.

I have run a validation and all checks out except it says there are no matches.

What would cause this?

• Matte: Without knowing anything about the data and its structure its hard to tell. Can you post some info about your columns (headers), datatypes and the first rows of your table?
• Eric: Make sure that the values in your attribute table matches EXACTLY to the values in your Excel table. Also, maybe check to see that the data type in your ArcGIS field is the same as within your Excel table.

Answer 1

Exporting to a dbf works most of the time and is the easier way, but it doesn't really identify the problem.

In ArcCatalog:

Ensure the Excel Table in your spreadsheet (the xls or xlsx file) is viewable, has the expected number of records, and you receive no errors (i.e. you see your data values when previewing).

Compare the Data Types for your parcel attribute table and your Excel Table and ensure they match (i.e. text is text and floats are floats).

In ArcMap:

Another quick and easy check is to find a value that you know should match between the two tables. Simply copy/paste the value (ctrl-c, ctrl-v) into something like notepad and make sure there are no spaces or any other characters. Do a Select by Attribute on your copy/pasted value and see if you get a result in both tables.

Answer 2

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You're going to want to export your excel table as a .dbase or .dbf file, then your join should work as expected.