mail merging a text document with word xp

[ernie]

I have been attempting to mail merge a text document with
word xp, but it runs very sluggish. The same text
document works fine in word 2000. The document has
possibly over 300 fields. I also, tried to change the
way the system recognizes the text file with reference to
being DDE or OBDC, but I was unable to make the file
become recognized differently. I have also updated my
version to SP-2, any help with this matter will be greatly
appreciated. Thanks

 

[Peter Jamieson]

Do you mean that the /document/ has over 300 fields, or that the data source
has over 300 fields, or both? (I suppose I am really asking if it is
obviously the field count that is causing the problem).

If the data source is a text file, you cannot conect with DDE anyway. You
will probably find that ODBC will be limited to around 255 fields.

In you later question you ask about WOrd 2003 vs. 2002 etc. First, I don't
know if there is any way to speed up your merge in 2002. It sounds as if you
have tried everything worth trying. Second, I'd try to experiment on an
existing Word 2003 installation before committing to an upgrade if at all
possible.