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MS Office Forum / Word / Mailmerge and Fax / January 2005multiple docs, one data source
In my work, I routinely set up one record in my data source and merge that info into multiple documents. But I have to re-open the datasource each time I open one of the documents. Is there a way to open the datasource and have it stay open for each document I open? Thanks, kp Can you say a little bit more about what you are actually doing? (Mentioning the version of Word and what the data source is usually helps, too). If your documents all specify a particular data source, you should not need to re-open the data source - it should be done automatically each time you open a document that uses it - although these days you may face additional security-related dialog boxes. If you have to "re-open" for each document, that suggests you are actually using a different data source for each set of merges. Peter Jamieson > In my work, I routinely set up one record in my data source and merge that > info into multiple documents. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Thanks, > kp I'm using Word 2002. I'm using one data source, not different ones for each document. I created the data source myself to go with these documents. I'm not sure how else to describe it. I have 7 documents that use the same mailmerge fields and the same data source. Each time I open a document, I'm prompted to open the data source. kp > Can you say a little bit more about what you are actually doing? > (Mentioning the version of Word and what the data source is usually helps, [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] >> Thanks, >> kp Ah, OK, are you prompted with a message along the lines of Opening this document will run the following SQL command: SELECT * FROM [tablename] Data from your database will be placed in the document. Do you want to continue? ? If so, you need to look at the following article: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;825765 "You receive the "Opening this will run the following SQL command" message when you open a Word mail merge main document that is linked to a data source" If not, a. what error message are you seeing? b. there are errors in Word 2002 that can cause it to lose the data source. For example, specifying sort/filter conditions in Word 2002 with an Access data source can cause this to happen, and there probably isn't a lot you can do about that other than change the data source. Other possible problems include: - Word cannot open the data source because something else has already opened it. - The data source has a very long path name (it does not matter if it is in the same folder as the .doc that uses it - Word will still try to use the complete path name). You can try moving the data source to a folder with a short name, e.g. c:\mydata\ and see if anything improves. Or putting in your My Data Sources folder may help. Peter Jamieson > I'm using Word 2002. I'm using one data source, not different ones for > each document. [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] >>> Thanks, >>> kp not any more. I had then when I downloaded the big service pack. But then I had to replace my hard drive and when I did, I did not put on that service pack because of that irritating message. I had suggestions for how to fix it, but it was beyond my capabilities. kp > Ah, OK, are you prompted with a message along the lines of > [quoted text clipped - 62 lines] >>>> Thanks, >>>> kp Yes, it's unfortunate. Peter Jamieson > not any more. I had then when I downloaded the big service pack. But then > I had to replace my hard drive and when I did, I did not put on that [quoted text clipped - 68 lines] >>>>> Thanks, >>>>> kp I should have said in my earlier reply... what I'm getting is <document name> is a mailmerge main document. Word cannot find its datasource. I see it's looking for a datasource with a different name instead of mine. So I guess I need to know how to associate the mailmerge docs with my own datasource forever.... kp > Ah, OK, are you prompted with a message along the lines of > [quoted text clipped - 62 lines] >>>> Thanks, >>>> kp > I see it's looking for a datasource with a different name instead of mine. > So I guess I need to know how to associate the mailmerge docs with my own > datasource forever.... OK, once you have selected a data source /and saved the mail merge main document/, the association /should/ be forever. That's how it's supposed to work. So either you are encountering one of the errors I mentioned before (in which case I suspect that the only viable workaround will be to change the type of data source), or you are doing something wrong, or at least doing things in an unexpected way. My suspicion is the former. However, can you tell us a. what type of data source it is (Word document? A new "Office Address List" (OAL) created within the Word Mail Merge Wizard? Something else?) b. what steps you are taking to connect to the data source? Peter Jamieson >I should have said in my earlier reply... > what I'm getting is [quoted text clipped - 74 lines] >>>>> Thanks, >>>>> kp Sorry for the late reply. I created the datasource within the mailmerge wizard. It is save in the "my data sources" file in My Documents and is an .mdb file. kp >> I see it's looking for a datasource with a different name instead of >> mine. So I guess I need to know how to associate the mailmerge docs with [quoted text clipped - 91 lines] >>>>>> Thanks, >>>>>> kp OK, one further thought before I have another look at this: do you only have one mail merge main document open at any given time, or are you e.g. opeing, merging, opening (or trying to), merging, etc. etc.? Peter Jamieson > Sorry for the late reply. I created the datasource within the mailmerge > wizard. It is save in the "my data sources" file in My Documents and is an [quoted text clipped - 96 lines] >>>>>>> Thanks, >>>>>>> kp open, merge, save, close. open the next one, merge, save, close. If I try to open more than one, each still prompts for the data source. kp > OK, one further thought before I have another look at this: do you only > have one mail merge main document open at any given time, or are you e.g. [quoted text clipped - 102 lines] >>>>>>>> Thanks, >>>>>>>> kp I'm going to he to go back to this: b. there are errors in Word 2002 that can cause it to lose the data source. For example, specifying sort/filter conditions in Word 2002 with an Access data source can cause this to happen, and there probably isn't a lot you can do about that other than change the data source. Other possible problems include: - The data source has a very long path name (it does not matter if it is in the same folder as the .doc that uses it - Word will still try to use the complete path name). You can try moving the data source to a folder with a short name, e.g. c:\mydata\ and see if anything improves. Or putting in your My Data Sources folder may help. In other words, I would try a different /type/ of data source (e.g. a table in a Word document or perhaps in Excel) and see if it makes any difference. Another thing that it might be useful to try is to re-connect, then use File|Save As to save your file in HTML format under a new name. Then open the HTML file using Notepad (so you can see the HTML tags) and look down the file until you see a block of information about the data source file, query, etc. I would be interested to know whether the file name in there is the one you expect. Peter Jamieson > open, merge, save, close. open the next one, merge, save, close. > [quoted text clipped - 109 lines] >>>>>>>>> Thanks, >>>>>>>>> kp Thanks Peter, for this suggestion. I'll give it a shot in a day or so and let you know what happened. I'm sure this isn't an error...the original mailmerge docs were created by another user and she set up her own data sources. Then, she emailed me the docs and I set up mine. It just didn't occur to me that it would look for hers. I'll try fiddling around with saving the docs somehow so they'll hook up to my datasource. kp > I'm going to he to go back to this: > [quoted text clipped - 141 lines] >>>>>>>>>> Thanks, >>>>>>>>>> kp
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