Mail Merge - Word cannot open data source

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

Monica - 09 Dec 2005 00:55 GMT

I am trying to create address labels using Mail Merge in Word 2003 and Excel
2003. Whenever I get to step 3 in the mail merge wizard to select recipients,
I click browse and select my excel spreadsheet. It then prompts me to
Confirm Data source. I then select Excel Worksheet with DDE. Then it asks
me the range. I select "entire spreadsheet". Then I received an error that
"Word cannot open datasource". Do you know why I am getting this error?

Reply to this Message

Cindy M -WordMVP- - 09 Dec 2005 13:32 GMT

Hi =?Utf-8?B?TW9uaWNh?=,

> I am trying to create address labels using Mail Merge in Word 2003 and Excel
> 2003. Whenever I get to step 3 in the mail merge wizard to select recipients,
> I click browse and select my excel spreadsheet. It then prompts me to
> Confirm Data source. I then select Excel Worksheet with DDE. Then it asks
> me the range. I select "entire spreadsheet". Then I received an error that
> "Word cannot open datasource". Do you know why I am getting this error?

DDE is very old technology, and mail merge over DDE works less and less on newer
systems. I don't know why, in any particular case, the error message appears.
Have you tried re-booting Windows, opening Word, and trying to link up (without
first opening Excel or the file in Excel)? And again with Excel already running
(but the data source file not openend)? And with the data source file open?

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 8 2004)
http://www.word.mvps.org

This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow question or reply
in the newsgroup and not by e-mail :-)

Reply to this Message

Flot26D9c - 01 Jan 2006 03:15 GMT

Cindy:

I am having a similar problem with Word 2000. I have a bunch of contacts in
Outlook 2000. In Word, using a pre-made template for mailing labels, I do a
mail merge, form letter - active window. When I pick on data source, I choose
address book, Outlook address book, and I get a "Word was unable to open the
data source." message. I am running Windows XP, SP2. I have been able to do
this previously with XP, SP2. I can't figure out why it's stopped working...
Repairing the Office installation didn't help, either.

Any thoughts?
Scott G.

> Hi =?Utf-8?B?TW9uaWNh?=,
>
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
> This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow question or reply
> in the newsgroup and not by e-mail :-)

Reply to this Message

Doug Robbins - Word MVP - 01 Jan 2006 10:49 GMT

See the "Mailmerge from Outlook" item on fellow MVP Graham Mayor's website
at:

http://www.gmayor.com/mailmerge_from_outlook.htm

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

> Cindy:
>
[quoted text clipped - 48 lines]
>> reply
>> in the newsgroup and not by e-mail :-)

Reply to this Message

Rate this thread: