Do not change data source name in the main merge document.

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

ARY - 24 Jul 2006 16:41 GMT

If a data source has been used in a different mail merge, that other main
document somehow is added [in brackets] to the data source name. It is
chaotic and troubling because the data source has been changed since the
other use.

Please don't do it.

Reply to this Message

Doug Robbins - Word MVP - 24 Jul 2006 18:18 GMT

Added [in brackets] where? While the Mail Merge main document, if it is
saved, will retain information about the data source, there is NO
information inserted into the data source itself about a main document with
which it has been used as the data source.

Signature

Hope this helps.

Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP

> If a data source has been used in a different mail merge, that other main
> document somehow is added [in brackets] to the data source name. It is
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
> http://www.microsoft.com/office/community/en-us/default.mspx?mid=19923d48-e814-4
91f-936e-1d0b448e5ea3&dg=microsoft.public.word.mailmerge.fields

Reply to this Message

ARY - 24 Jul 2006 20:22 GMT

Where it appears:
After i select the data source, there is a pop-up box
The blue heading is "Select Table"
Under the "Name" column should appear my datasource name; it doesn't.
Instead there is the name of something else. It will the correct datasource,
despite the goofy title.

If i convert my excel datasource to .csv then i don't see that stuff. But i
should not have to perform "work around" when using two otherwise-compatible
Microsoft products.

> Added [in brackets] where? While the Mail Merge main document, if it is
> saved, will retain information about the data source, there is NO
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> >
> > http://www.microsoft.com/office/community/en-us/default.mspx?mid=19923d48-e814-4
91f-936e-1d0b448e5ea3&dg=microsoft.public.word.mailmerge.fields

Reply to this Message

Peter Jamieson - 24 Jul 2006 23:17 GMT

A single Excel workbook can contain multiple "data sources" because each
worksheet can be a data source, and each "named range" can be a data source.
If you happen to have used your workbook to open a data source from
elsewhere as a "database" there will be a fairly odd-looking range name
associated with that.

All of these are listed in the dialog box that appears when you try to open
the workbook as a data source for Word. Could that explain what you are
seeing?

> If i convert my excel datasource to .csv then i don't see that stuff. But
> i
> should not have to perform "work around" when using two
> otherwise-compatible
> Microsoft products.

Broadly speaking I would agree with that, but there is another factor here,
which is that Word gets its data from Excel using a method which is intended
to be independent of any particular program or software suite. Sometimes
when suite designers use that kind of thing, "seamless" operation can get
lost in the wash.

Peter Jamieson

> Where it appears:
> After i select the data source, there is a pop-up box
[quoted text clipped - 36 lines]
>> >
>> > http://www.microsoft.com/office/community/en-us/default.mspx?mid=19923d48-e814-4
91f-936e-1d0b448e5ea3&dg=microsoft.public.word.mailmerge.fields

Reply to this Message

Rate this thread: