Data Source

[Mary]

I have 4 different mail merge letters with 4 different data sources. The
first one comes out fine. The next one defaults back to the first data
source, and I can't get it to stop doing that. I know I have selected the
correct file, so it's not a user error. Any suggestions?

 

[Peter Jamieson]

Which version of Word?

What type of file is the data source?

Does Word display a message when you open the mail merge main document,
and if so, in that message, can you see the full path name of the file
it says it is trying to open?


Peter Jamieson

http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk

 

[Mary]

I'm using Word 2003. The data source is an Excel spread sheet with just
first and last names. I see the file name and path it is supposed to open,
but it opens a file I used yesterday, and I can't get it to stop doing that.

 

[Peter Jamieson]

Try the following:
a. do what you need to let the document open
b. enable the mailmerge toolbar (View->Toolbars)
c. click the first button and select the "Normal Word document"
option. This disconnects any data source from the mail merge main document.
d. If you want, save, close and re-open the mail merge main document
at this point.
e. now go through the process of connecting to your data source again.
f. save and close the document.
g. re-open, and see if that has fixed the problem.

(One problem with word is that once it has decided that the data source
is invalid, if you try to change it, Word seems to forget the new data
source when you save the file. Whether that is the problem in this case
I cannot tell).

Peter Jamieson

http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk

 

[Mary]

I was really hoping that would work, but unfortunately, it did not.

 

[Peter Jamieson]

Oh well.

What happens if you create a completely new word document, then try to
connect it to this data source?

Peter Jamieson

http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk

 

[Mary]

I'll have to try that next. It's very frustrating. I wonder if Word has a
patch/fix for this.....

 

[Peter Jamieson]

It's very frustrating.

Yes.

After you select the sheet, do you see...
a. a dialog box titled "Select Table", with a checkbox at the bottom
left titled "First row of data contains column headers", or
b. a dialog box titled "Select Table", with a list of tables, a
dropdown selection box titled "workbook", and an Options... button at
the bottom left, or
c. a dialog box titled "Microsoft Office Excel" or some such, with
"Named or cell range" underneath?


Peter Jamieson

http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk

 

[Mary]

I see A: a dialog box title "Select Table", with a checkbox at the bottom
left titled "First Row of data contains column headers".

 

[Peter Jamieson]

OK, I thought it might be (b), which might explain the problem.

What table names are displayed, and which one do you select?

Peter Jamieson

http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk

 

[Mary]

I don't select any of the names because it's the wrong file. None of the
names apply to the letter.

 

[Peter Jamieson]

OK, please bear in mind that I cannot see what you are seeing.

I don't select any of the names because it's the wrong file.

At the point where you see the list of tables, what table name are you
expecting to see? And what do you actually see?

Or are you seeing the default name "Sheet1$", but when you select it, it
is not the "Sheet1$" in the workbook that you specified? Or some such.


Peter Jamieson

http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk

 

[Mary]

I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to come off terse. I'm very frustrated but
appreciate your help.

 

[Peter Jamieson]

It's OK...

FWIW I try to ask questions that will help confirm or deny something
quite specific (even if I do not say what that is), although sometimes
they are more speculative.

But I have no doubt that I do not always succeed, and/or that it doesn't
always come across that way.

Something that may help in this case is to consider the possibility that
there is something wrong with either your .xls, your .doc or your .dot.
If you experiment with completely fresh .doc, .xls and perhaps .dot, you
may be able to verify for yourself that /this normally works/. OTOH,
perhaps on your system /it never works/ in which case there must be
something wrong.

Another thing to try is
a. once you have opened your document, and chosen any table in the
data source (even if you can tell that it is the wrong data source),
open the VBA editor
b. open the immediate window (ctrl-G if it is not there already)
c. type

? activedocument.mailmerge.datasource.name

record the results

then

? activedocument.mailmerge.datasource.connectstring

and

? activedocument.mailmerge.datasource.querystring

record the results and post them in this thread.


Peter Jamieson

http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk