can't re-establish DDE connection

[simonc]

I am using Word 2000 and Access 2002. When I try to open the Access database as a mail merge data source for my word document I get the following error message:

Word could not re-establish a DDE connection to Microsoft Access to complete the current task.

Is there something I need to have installed? All the help suggests that DDE should work. Although I can open the Access database using ODBC I actually want to use an access query as my data source, and it appears you can't do this with ODBC - only with DDE.

Grateful for any help.

 

[Peter Jamieson]

Is there something I need to have installed? All the help suggests that
DDE should work.

There can be problems if for example your Access application changes the
database name that Access displays in its title bar.

However, you /can/ link to at least some types of Access query using ODBC.
But to see the queries listed in the dialog box that Word presents when you
connect to the data source, you have to click Options and check all the
boxes in there. You won't be able to linke to some query types, e.g. queries
that use user-defined Access VBA functions and probably queries that use
some types of external link will either not be available or will not work.

--
Peter Jamieson
MS Word MVP

I am using Word 2000 and Access 2002. When I try to open the Access

database as a mail merge data source for my word document I get the
following error message:

Word could not re-establish a DDE connection to Microsoft Access to complete the current task.

Is there something I need to have installed? All the help suggests that

DDE should work. Although I can open the Access database using ODBC I
actually want to use an access query as my data source, and it appears you
can't do this with ODBC - only with DDE.

 

[pkm OBCLC]

Go to Tools>Options>General tab and put a checkmark in the box for Confirm
Conversion. When we upgraded to Word 2002, we had to do that to use our old
database in Access 2000. Apparently, it works both ways. Hope this helps.

 

[Laura Cohen]

Not sure if you found this information out already or not,
but I was having the same problem you are. I was trying
to do a mail merge using Word and an Excel spreadsheet
(both are Office 2000). I found KB article 198299. I
tried Method 1 and my settings were correct. I tried
Method 2 and everything works fine now. Not sure why the
mail merge stopped working for me as it had worked a month
or two ago. I also uninstalled Office 2000 and
reinstalled it and this did not solve my problem. Method
2 in KB article 198299 solved my problem. Hope this helps.

-----Original Message-----
I am using Word 2000 and Access 2002. When I try to open

the Access database as a mail merge data source for my
word document I get the following error message:

Word could not re-establish a DDE connection to Microsoft

Access to complete the current task.

Is there something I need to have installed? All the help

suggests that DDE should work. Although I can open the
Access database using ODBC I actually want to use an
access query as my data source, and it appears you can't
do this with ODBC - only with DDE.