Unable to link an MS access 2003 query to a Mail Merge doc

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

- 10 Dec 2003 05:14 GMT

In Word 2003, when you create a mail merge document, you
can choose an external data source like microsoft Access,
however you can only pick from a table or view. How can
you link the document to an access query??? Help says it
can be done but it does not seem to let you. This worked
fine in Office 97.

Reply to this Message

Peter Jamieson - 10 Dec 2003 11:01 GMT

To revert to the connection mechanism used by defualt in Word 97 (DDE),
check Word Tools|Options|General|"Confirm conversions at open", go through
the connection process again, and select the DDE option when offered.
However, although the DDE mechanism will probably let you connect to most
queries, you may find that queries with wildcards in match expressions do
not work if you are using an old database format.

As background, Word 2003 has a new default connection method (OLEDB), which
does not let you connect to all queries. For example, parameter queries,
Union queries, queries that reference user-defined Access VBA functions are
all excluded.

--
Peter Jamieson - Word MVP

> In Word 2003, when you create a mail merge document, you
> can choose an external data source like microsoft Access,
> however you can only pick from a table or view. How can
> you link the document to an access query??? Help says it
> can be done but it does not seem to let you. This worked
> fine in Office 97.

Reply to this Message

- 10 Dec 2003 17:27 GMT

PETER,

How can we include queries with parameters?

HOUIDA

>-----Original Message-----
>To revert to the connection mechanism used by defualt in Word 97 (DDE),
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
>
>.

Reply to this Message

Peter Jamieson - 10 Dec 2003 17:48 GMT

DDE is the only option at present, i.e. you have to go this route:

To revert to the connection mechanism used by defualt in Word 97 (DDE),
check Word Tools|Options|General|"Confirm conversions at open", go through
the connection process again, and select the DDE option when offered.

The basic problem is that it is Access (the program) that knows how to ask
for these parameters. Neither ODBC nor OLEDB, which just work with a "mute"
database engine, know how to do it, and Word has not been modified to
recognise that an interaction is needed (and I do not even know if that
would be possible) and to deal with it.

--
Peter Jamieson - Word MVP

> PETER,
>
[quoted text clipped - 36 lines]
> >
> >.

Reply to this Message

HS - 10 Dec 2003 17:21 GMT

I am having the same problem except that my queries have
data parameters set in them. Will this become a problem?

PLEASE HELP!

>-----Original Message-----
>In Word 2003, when you create a mail merge document, you
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>fine in Office 97.
>.

Reply to this Message