Data source

[ken arthur]

I use an Access query as the data source for a mail
merge. I want to use an includetext link to files and
bookmarks, but I also want to have these files available
on either a local computer or on the server.
I have also set up an Access table called "Setup" which
contains paths,file names and bookmarks.
I want to be able to have the user select whether they
are going to use the server files or the local files (as
they may not always be connected to the server and
operate standalone).
Problem I have is that the data source has many records,
one for each merge letter, but the "Setup" table only has
one record with the paths, files and bookmarks, which are
common to each letter to be produced in this merge. I
cannot see how I can include both the data tables and the
setup table in the query. Nor can I see how I can get
Word Merge to include the same fields from the setup
table in each merge.

Hope I have explained my problem clearly. Any assistance
would be appreciated.

 

[Doug Robbins]

This is really an Access query design question. In your Access datasource
table, you need a field by which you can link each record the the Setup
table and a corresponding field in that table. For example, in each table,
add a field named "link" and in the datasource, enter the numeral 1 in that
field for each record (run a query to do this if you like), then in the
Setup table, enter 1 in that field of the single record (or the record that
contains the path that you want to be used. Then create a query that links
both of those tables on the link field and have it display the data from the
datasource plus the path from the Setup table. When you view this query,
you will see that for each record in the datasource, there is also a field
that contains the path. Use this query as the source of data from your
mailmerge.

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Hope this helps,
Doug Robbins - Word MVP