To see the option you have to check Word Tools|Options|General|Confirm
conversions at open. Then you get the same "Confirm" dialog after you select
the .mdb.

Peter Jamieson

In Word 97/2000, DDE was the default connection method and ODBC was the
alternative as far as Access/Jet sources were concerned.

In Word 2003, OLE DB is the default, but unfortunately when you have
selected your database, Word does not display the Access tables that are
linked to ODBC data sources (which is what you would have even if your
Access database is Access 2000 format or later). It isn't that OLE DB cannot
"see" the tables: it can, but Word seems to ignore them.

So what can you do? Well, assuming there are no additional problems related
to the fact that it's an Access 97 format database rather than (say) Access
2000 format, you can
a. check Word Tools|Options|General|Confirm conversions at open, go through
the connection process again, and select either a DDE or ODBC connection
from the additional dialog box that's displayed. If you chose ODBC, you will
need to check that Word has selected the correct .mdb (it's impossible to
see if the pathname is long), click Options... then select all the boxes.
You should see the list of linked tables. Or
b. create one query in your Access database for each linked table you want
to use, with SELECT * FROM [thattablename], and use that as the data source
(which I think you are probably already doing). Or
c. connect using Word VBA and the OpenDataSource method. All you really
need in this case is

Sub ConnectToAccess()
ActiveDocument.MailMerge.OpenDataSource _
 Name:="the full path name of your .mdb", _
 SQLStatement:= "SELECT * FROM [theAccesstablename]"
End Sub

or
d. create a .odc file for each linked table and use those when you select
your data source. (in Word's "Select Data Source" dialog box
   - click New Source
   - Other/Advanced
   - select the Microsoft Jet 4.0 OLE DB Provider. Click "Next"
   - enter the full path name of the .mdb. Click Yes (test the connection
if you want)
   - you should then see a list of tables. Select the one you want, then
name and save the .odc file
   - Word then prompts for a data source - select the .odc you just
created, and select the OLE DB Databases connection method if word prompts
you for that.

or
e. connect directly to your SQL database (typically you also have to create
a .odc for that cf. point (d) above, but using the appropriate provider
instead of the Microsoft Jet one.

The different ways of connecting have their advantages and disadvatages so
find out whether there are any importnat things you cannot do (e.g. you
might not be able to sort/filter or edit data source records in Word, and so
on).