Merge using Excel - problems with numbers abd dates

[Marion]

I am doing a mail merge using Word XP where my data comes from Excel.
My first problem is numbers, in Excel I have say the number 2.11 bu
when it appears in Word it is 2.10999999999999
My second problem are dates, in Excel a date might appear 06/04/04 i
6th April but in word it appears 04/06/04

Please help!

 

[macropod]

Hi Marion,

The numbers being imported into Word are probably showing the true values
held in Excel, but the cells in Excel are formatted to show only two decimal
places. You can get the same result in Word by adding a numeric picture
switch to the mailmerge field.

To reformat the values, select the field and press Shift-F9. Your field
should now look like:
{Mailmerge ExcelValue} or {Mailmerge ExcelValue \* Mergeformat}
To format the output to display the data rounded to two decimal places, add
a numeric picture switch like:
\# ,0.00
so that you field looks like:
{Mailmerge ExcelValue \# ,0.00} or {Mailmerge ExcelValue \# ,0.00 \*
Mergeformat}

To reformat the dates, select the field and press Shift-F9. Your field
should now look like:
{Mailmerge ExcelDate} or {Mailmerge ExcelDate \* Mergeformat}

To format the output to display the dates in Day Month Year format, add a
date picture switch like:
\@ "d MMMM yyyy"
so that you field looks like:
{Mailmerge ExcelValue \@ "d MMMM yyyy"} or {Mailmerge ExcelValue \@ "d MMMM
yyyy" \* Mergeformat}
This will give a result like "6 April 2004". Depending on what you want to
achieve, you could also use:
\@ "dd MMMM yyyy" to give a result like "06 April 2004"
\@ "d MMMM yy" to give a result like "6 April 04"
\@ "dd/MM/yy" to give a result like "06/04/2004"
\@ "dddd, d MMMM yyyy" to give a result like "Tuesday, 6 April 2004"
and various other day/month/year combinations

Cheers

 

[Linda]

I am having this same problem with the new mail merge. The
Excel database information when merged is carried out to
the nth degree. It is very frustrating and I would also
like an answer to this new problem, the old mail merge was
so effortless and worked perfectly, why did they change
this!!!

 

[Linda]

After further inquiry into this problem, I found the
solution on the Web
Site:http://www.gmayor.com/mail_merge_labels_with_word_xp.h
tm
You can revert to the old mail merge helper:
You can still use the old Mail Merge Helper from Word
97/2000

Although you get a new mail merge interface, using task
panes, with Word 2002/3, and the previous sections show
how to avoid using it, Microsoft has kindly left the old
mail merge helper from Word 97/2000 in the application.
You will, however, have to add it's command to the toolbar
and/or tools menu. You'll find the command in Tools >
customize > commands > all commands and it's called
MailMergeHelper just drag this to your toolbar and it's
the old familiar easy to use mail merge helper.

Also to solve the problems with excel formations that come
over to the nth degree:

Excel data

Word XP has introduced further complications for those
merging from Excel data. In earlier versions of Word
connection to the data file was by DDE. Microsoft has
replaced this default setting by a new OLEDB connection
method. This has benefits and drawback. The benefits are
that Word can now connect to client/server databases such
as SQL or Oracle without resorting to an intervening
interface such as MSQuery.
One downside is that OLEDB provides direct access to the
data and thus Word is expected to provide the formatting.
You can often work round this by applying formatting to
the fields in Word. or you can revert to the earlier DDE
connection method.
In order to do this, you need to make a change to one of
the Word options settings i.e. Tools > Options > General >
Confirm conversion on open. This provides the
opportunity, when connecting to an Excel data file, to
select the type of connection, from which you can select
DDE, whereupon the connection should behave as it had in
earlier versions of Word.

Hope this helps you!!!

 

[Graham Mayor]

Microsoft has changed the way merge connects to its data - you can still use
the old method, or you can adapt to the new. See
http://www.gmayor.com/formatting_word_fields.htm and for the old way -
follow the highlighted link on that page.

--
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Graham Mayor - Word MVP

Web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site www.mvps.org/word
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