Automated Access Merge

[T]

I am working on trying to automate a Word mail merge with an Access
query. Users input data via the web using an Infopath form. The data is
submitted to a database stored on a company shared drive. I'm trying to
write some script to automate a merge from that database to Word
documents located at the same location on the web. I don't want the
user to have to do anything but submit the data and have the merged
document as a result. I'm not too sure where to begin, and I was
wondering if anyone had suggestions.

 

[Cindy M -WordMVP-]

Hi T,

I am working on trying to automate a Word mail merge with an Access
query. Users input data via the web using an Infopath form. The data is
submitted to a database stored on a company shared drive. I'm trying to
write some script to automate a merge from that database to Word
documents located at the same location on the web. I don't want the
user to have to do anything but submit the data and have the merged
document as a result. I'm not too sure where to begin, and I was
wondering if anyone had suggestions.

Hmmm. Well, the first possible obstacle I see is "Word documents located
at the same location on the web". Mail merge can't work with a URL, only
a "traditional" file path. So if you mean "on the web" literally, you
won't be able to use mail merge.

Nothing to stop you from sending the data directly to the documents,
though... For the further discussion of possible alternatives, we need to
know which version(s) of Word you're targeting.

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

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[T]

Cindy-

I'm running Office 2003 Professional. The Infopath form and Word merge
template are both currently stored on a Sharepoint web portal. Because
the portal is protected against certain file types, like .mdb, the
database is stored on a corporate shared drive. I would like the user
to have the merged Word document made available to them with after
submitting the Infopath form to the database. Do you have an easier
solution than writing script to automate the process?

 

[Cindy M -WordMVP-]

Hi T,

I'm running Office 2003 Professional. The Infopath form and Word merge
template are both currently stored on a Sharepoint web portal. Because
the portal is protected against certain file types, like .mdb, the
database is stored on a corporate shared drive. I would like the user
to have the merged Word document made available to them with after
submitting the Infopath form to the database. Do you have an easier
solution than writing script to automate the process?

Still not sure I understand exactly how you envision this, and note that
I have only limited experience with Sharepoint...

IF the Word document is set up on a "normal" machine and can be
successfully linked (and merged during the testing phase) to the Access
DB on the shared drive...

Then it's possible that the mail merge main document can be opened from
Sharepoint on a machine and still retain the link to the Access database
in the shared location. So the user can then execute the merge.

However. There have been issues with Word mail merge documents losing
the connection to database files located in a network location. Close as
I can figure, the mapping stored in the mail merge database file does
not exactly match the mapping on the next machine to open that file.
I've never been able to track down whether this is a network issue, or
whether there's a setting in Word (such as "Make local copies of files
stored on network or removable drive" in Tools/Options/Save) that's
causing this problem.

If this turns up when you test, you might consider a AutoOpen macro in
the mail merge document, itself, to link up to the data source.

Also, take a look at the issue in the following KB article. You'll
either need to lock out a newer security measure, or use the macro
solution in any case to avoid this:

"Opening This Will Run the Following SQL Command" Message When You Open
a Word Document - 825765
http://support.microsoft.com?kbid=825765

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

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or reply in the newsgroup and not by e-mail