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Michael Koerner - 09 Feb 2006 17:10 GMT

Using Office 2003 all patches. I run a mailmerge using Excel as the data
source, and was wondering why every time I open my merge document I receive
the following message:

Opening this document will run the following SQL command:
SELECT * FROM `NominalRoll$`
Data from your database will be placed in the document. Do you want to
continue?

When I select yes I still have to go looking for the NominalRoll.xls file
You would think that once you did an initial merge it would remember where
the file was located.

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Regards
Michael Koerner

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Peter Jamieson - 09 Feb 2006 18:00 GMT

You've probably seen the following article before:...

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;825765

While there may be some other workaround for this problem, I suggest you
e-mail mswish@microsoft.com and ask that they fix this, saying that from
your perspective,
a. all you are trying to do is use a simple data source
b. all that SQL command stuff is something Microsoft does internally and
perhaps if that is the way they insist on doing it, they could hide it from
you more effectively, not least because you never actually asked their
software to "run an SQL command"
c. could they please fix it so that you can do what you want without facing
the kind of barrage of questions you usually only face when asking about
software, trying to leave/enter the country, or at a supermarket checkout
(sorry, I'm rambling:-))

Peter Jamieson

> Using Office 2003 all patches. I run a mailmerge using Excel as the data
> source, and was wondering why every time I open my merge document I
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> You would think that once you did an initial merge it would remember where
> the file was located.

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Michael Koerner - 09 Feb 2006 18:39 GMT

Peter;

Thanks very much. Now how do I make it stop asking me for the Excel file
after I have once ran the merge and saved all the files?

Signature

Regards
Michael Koerner

| You've probably seen the following article before:...
|
[quoted text clipped - 27 lines]
| > You would think that once you did an initial merge it would remember where
| > the file was located.

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Peter Jamieson - 09 Feb 2006 22:08 GMT

Here, once I have made the change to the registry in the article I referred
to, I don't see the question again. If I don't make the change, I always see
the question.

I'm not sure exactly what you are doing but in an attempt to replicate "ran
the merge and save all the files" I ran a merge, outputting to a new
document, saved and closed the new document and the mail merge main
document, then re-opened the mail merge main document. No questions,
connection was fine. This is Word 2003, also up to date as far as I know.
What's happening with your copy of Word?

Peter Jamieson

> Peter;
>
[quoted text clipped - 40 lines]
> where
> | > the file was located.

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Michael Koerner - 09 Feb 2006 22:59 GMT

After changing the registry, I no longer see the question true. But, I still
have to navigate to the data source and select it before the
document/template whatever opens

Signature

Regards
Michael Koerner

| Here, once I have made the change to the registry in the article I referred
| to, I don't see the question again. If I don't make the change, I always see
[quoted text clipped - 53 lines]
| > where
| > | > the file was located.

Reply to this Message

Peter Jamieson - 09 Feb 2006 23:08 GMT

> document/template whatever opens

1. Are you creating your mail merges from a template that's attached to the
data source?

if so, that could be the source of the problem, since Word seems to keep the
template's connection open (it didn't used to) and sometimes the connection
is excusive. I haven't checked in this particular case, but maybe you could
have a look, and if that's what you're doing, either disconnect the template
from the data source or create a new template that's not connected to a data
source and try that.

2. Are you applying any sorts, filters or selections to the Data Source (via
"Mail Merge Recipients") before closing your document?

I'm about to sign off for today...

Peter Jamieson

> After changing the registry, I no longer see the question true. But, I
> still
[quoted text clipped - 73 lines]
> | > where
> | > | > the file was located.

Reply to this Message

Michael Koerner - 10 Feb 2006 14:20 GMT

1. Are you creating your mail merges from a template that's attached to the
data source?

I'm not sure (don't know). After clicking on the .XLS file and the template
opens I have the option to "Merge to new document" which is what I usually
do to create the finished file.

if so, that could be the source of the problem, since Word seems to keep the
template's connection open (it didn't used to) and sometimes the connection
is excusive. I haven't checked in this particular case, but maybe you could
have a look, and if that's what you're doing, either disconnect the template
from the data source or create a new template that's not connected to a data
source and try that.

How does one go about disconnecting a template from the data source? I
believe if the template were attached to the data source, I would not have
to select it each time I open the template to run the merge.

2. Are you applying any sorts, filters or selections to the Data Source (via
"Mail Merge Recipients") before closing your document?

No.

Signature

Regards
Michael Koerner

|> document/template whatever opens
|
[quoted text clipped - 91 lines]
| > | > where
| > | > | > the file was located.

Reply to this Message

Peter Jamieson - 10 Feb 2006 17:42 GMT

> I'm not sure (don't know). After clicking on the .XLS file and the
> template
> opens I have the option to "Merge to new document" which is what I usually
> do to create the finished file.

My question has really to do with how you are creating your Word documents
in the first place. "Template" has a specific meaning in Word. When you
create a new document it's always based on a Word template (i.e. .dot file).
If you are not aware of using .dot files then the chances are that you are
always using the standard template, normal.dot. If you always start with the
blank document icon at the left hand end of the standard toolbar then your
document will be attached to the standard template, normal.dot. If you
always start by copying an existing document then the new document will
(probably) be attached to whatever template the old document was attached
to. You can find out which template a document is attached to by opening the
document and looking at Tools|Templates and Addins...|Templates|Document
Template.

By default, normal.dot is /not/ attached to a data source. It's possible
that at some point you may have attached it to a data source but I suspect
you would know about it if you had. Ditto for any other use of templates.

So that's probably not the explanation in this case. But it's still worth
checking.

Does anything else (e.g. Excel) have the data source open when you open your
Word document?

> How does one go about disconnecting a template from the data source? I
> believe if the template were attached to the data source, I would not have
> to select it each time I open the template to run the merge.

You would have to find the template, open it, then e.g. use the first icon
on the mail merge toolbar to set the thing back to being Normal Word
Document (even though it isn't, it's a template), then save and close it.
You will probably find your templates in a folder with the following name:

C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates

where <username> is your Windows login name.

> I
> believe if the template were attached to the data source, I would not have
> to select it each time I open the template to run the merge.

That's how it should work, and how it used to work using Word 2000 I think.
But now the fact that the template has the data source open sometimes means
that the a document attached to the template cannot also open it.

It's possible that you use the word template in the way many people do, i.e.
a document (.doc) that you copy and use as the basis of a new document. In
that case, you certainly should be able to open the data source in the way
that you suggest, unless something else also has the data source open.

Peter Jamieson

> 1. Are you creating your mail merges from a template that's attached to
> the
[quoted text clipped - 141 lines]
> | > | > where
> | > | > | > the file was located.

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Michael Koerner - 10 Feb 2006 19:45 GMT

I'm sorry, I knew that. It is not a .dot file. it is just a .doc file that
has all the merge information in it and when it opens up, the mailmerge
toolbar give me the option to complete the merge.

I think the problem may have evolved through different versions of Word and
Excel I started this thing I think when I was using Office 97, and just kept
opening the appropriate files with each new version of Office that came
along. I did something this morning (don't know what) which forced Word to
look for a new data source. When I selected the .XLS file, then saved the
document. I closed the document shut down Word reopened Word, the document,
it opened without asking for the data source. Have done a number of warm,
cold boots (paranoia that it might revert back to the old display) and tried
the merge with great success. Thanks again for all you help

Signature

Regards
Michael Koerner

|> I'm not sure (don't know). After clicking on the .XLS file and the
| > template
[quoted text clipped - 197 lines]
| > | > | > where
| > | > | > | > the file was located.

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Peter Jamieson - 10 Feb 2006 22:29 GMT

Glad it's solved anyway!

Peter Jamieson

> I'm sorry, I knew that. It is not a .dot file. it is just a .doc file that
> has all the merge information in it and when it opens up, the mailmerge
[quoted text clipped - 270 lines]
> | > | > | > where
> | > | > | > | > the file was located.

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